FicWad

It was a slightly overcast day, with clouds dark and heavy with rain. In the landscaping bordering against the sidewalk, a little slug nibbled on some ice plant. It was oblivious to the coming rain, but the lack of direct sunlight had called the slug to come out from hiding.

Elias, meanwhile, was on his way home from his shift at the little restaurant where he worked. He glanced furtively at the overcast sky a few times, but didn't speed his leisurely pace much regardless. He spotted the little slug on his way by, and thought idly that the poor little thing was liable to drown in the rain. Not caring much if he got wet - he was a large human, and wouldn't drown - he bent down and poked one of the little slug's feelers, hoping it might somehow understand, or at least be scared into crawling back to wherever slugs went when in rained.

The slug's little feeler retracted back into its head, then slowly returned back to normal length, bobbing a bit. Unsure of what was prodding it, the little slug inches towards the finger, using its feelers to guide the way. When one of the feelers touched the skin, it retracted; there was some amount of salt on the skin, which the slug wasn't fond of at all.

Elias grinned in response to the little slug's actions. He'd always thought that the thing slugs did with their feelers was funny, and this particular creature hadn't chosen to disappoint. He still wasn't sure whether the slug would manage to keep itself from drowning, but he -did- want to get home eventually. Poking the slug once more for good measure, he got back to his feet, still smiling, and continued on his way home.

The slug's feelers wavered in the air for a moment, trying to feel for the object that was no long there. As if in disappointment, the slug crawled back down the leaf to the base of the plant it was on, and then went back to eating for a moment. The first few drops of rain evaded the little slug's plant, but within minutes a steady downpour began. The slug wasn't bothered at first, but then it inched its way back down the plant to the soil.

For his part, Elias continued home, and was almost there when the rain started. He got inside without being too thoroughly soaked, and didn't spare another thought for the little slug he'd stopped to poke. After all, he might have a horrible, low-paying restaurant job, but his time off was his own.

A few days later, a short boy sat on the curb of the sidewalk where the stranger had prodded the slug. He was very short, being that he was little, but he was bright. The sun had come out to dry the puddles; it was still overcast, but dry. A pair of green and yellow shades lay propped up on the boy's head as he stared blankly out at the street. The jacket he wore was blue and white with a brown hoodie (the hoodie itself had bear ears and a tan "muzzle" with a black nose and round eyes). He also wore a light blue shirt with a graphic slug on the front, a pair of khaki cargo pants, and black converse shoes.

During the intervening few days between the rain shower and the present, Elias had continued going to work as usual, completely oblivious to whatever might have befallen the little slug. It was early afternoon, and he was heading out from his apartment again, dressed in a cheap suit already because he was late. The owners of the restaurant where he worked insisted upon the fancy dress, but Elias usually changed in the small restaurant bathroom. He was in a hurry, having lost track of the time, and was jogging by the time he reached the stretch of sidewalk where he'd found the slug days prior.

The boy lifted up his head when he heard footsteps approaching. He narrowed his eyes, squinting to see who it was. His eyesight was poor, but it wasn't terrible; his eyes were just sensitive to light. The eyes themselves were a storm grey, with flecks as blue as the sky mixed in. His bear hoodie was drawn up, with the strings pulled slightly tight to keep his shaggy, sand blonde hair from spilling out. The rest of his hair ranged from light sand to dark brown, as if they were the colors of the earth. He smiled to himself upon seeing Elias.

Still jogging, slowly now, Elias glanced down at his watch and grimaced. He was going to be late, he was going to be -late.- If he wasn't careful, the damn mistress of the place would dock his wages again. He couldn't really afford that. He didn't spot the boy on the sidewalk, regardless of having been spotted himself, and proceeded to remain oblivious to the kid up until the point where he practically ran -into- the child. Cursing quietly, he jumped back and offered the kid an irritated, sour look.

That little contact was enough to confirm to the boy that Elias was that same person from a few days ago. He merely smiled and pushed himself up, standing in the gutter of the street. Staring at Elias' eyes, he smiled and inclined his head slightly, "Better get moving, sir. Y' doan wanna be late." Then he added, almost as an afterthought, "She'll get on yer ass if you don't hurry." He merely smiled and stared at the stranger, and before Elias could get moving again, he call after him, "See ya later!"

The curious boy's even more curious words alone were enough to distract Elias from his cursing and his worrying. He'd started to dust himself off, in case colliding with the child had dirtied his dingy suit, but stopped mid-swipe. "...What -are- you talking about?" he asked then, tone of voice almost flat, but with undertones of incredulity. He -wanted- to ask the boy how the -hell- he knew that Elias was late, and even knew about Elias' -boss-... But if he didn't ask, he might still be able to delude himself into believing that the boy had just made a lucky guess... Or something.

The boy smiled and nodded his head, then stepped up onto the sidewalk behind Elias. As if he could read the boy's mind, though he could not, he merely replied, "Better get going! And I'll see you again." He smiled and started to walk backwards, with his hands behind his back, and his head dipped forward, but his eyes watched Elias. "Oh, and yer suit's fine; not like I'm covered in dirt or slime like a slug, ne?"

The slug comment reminded Elias instantly of the little slug he'd seen on the rainy day, but there didn't really seem to be any other connection, so he ignored his brain's protests to the contrary. "Right..." he agreed, albeit weakly. "I'm going to be late." Looking decidedly more dazed than he had -before- running into the boy, Elias began to walk again. He was still moving briskly, but he was a bit wary of breaking into a jog, now. He didn't know -who- else he might collide with. The boy's words about "seeing him again," in addition to being "like a slug" stayed with him, but he got to the restaurant -almost- on time, and was spared the horror of docked pay, escaping only with a scolding from the mistress.

While Elias was at work, the boy helped one of the landscapers to replant some of the dead ice plant (as it had been heavily over watered). As the day progressed, the clouds rolled in overhead and they loomed ominously in the sky above the city, prepared to drench the residents in another inch of rain. Chino, one of the workers the boy was helping, kept calling him that (probably meant little boy or something in some language), smiled and patted around the base of the plant that he had just buried the roots of. He whispered under his breath, talking to the plants as he worked. The workers commented about how helpful he was, and that he was a hard worker, so when it was break time, it was no surprise that they offered drinks to the boy for payment. Chino gladly took some apple juice and sipped it happily, finally aware that he was rather hungry and thirsty for the first time that day.

By the time Elias got off work, it was one in the morning and he was -exhausted.- He'd only had a short amount of time to ponder the words from the boy that had been running around his head at work before business had picked up. By the time things slowed down, he'd forgotten all about curious little mind-reading boys and was merely set on getting home and going to sleep. He really wished he had a car, close as his apartment was to the restaurant where he worked. He moved slowly in walking home, and even in the dim orange glow from the street lights, he did notice that the plants beside the sidewalk looked healthier than he thought he remembered. If the boy, Chino, was still around at that hour, Elias was too busy with his exhaustion and introspection to notice him in the gloom.

After the sun set, Chino had napped for a little bit in a nearby park, so later on in the night he was full of energy to explore. It hadn't rained like the workers from earlier expected it might, so the plants would be fine. Around midnight, he wandered back to the freshly planted ice plant to inspect the little snails and slugs that came attached to the plants. Kneeled beside a section of very green plants, he reached out, careful not to disturb the little plants, and picked up a snail. Chino smiled, and then set the critter down on the same leaf he picked it from, and started to chat nonsense to it.

The space where Chino was kneeling wasn't directly under the orange glare of either of the nearby street lights; when Elias nearly ran into the boy -again,- he managed not to curse. He'd really have to learn how to watch where he was going, some day. He didn't realize that it was the same boy as before, although after backing up and looking over the person he'd nearly collided with -this- time, Elias did recognize the rather distinctive outfit the mind-reading boy had been sporting. Sighing, he contemplated just walking around the boy and going home... But it -was- late, and didn't the kid have somewhere to go? "It's kind of late, kid," he said plainly, gesturing with one hand as he did. "What're you still doing out here?"

Chino blinked then looked over his shoulder. Seeing that it was Elias, he smiled broadly then stands and turns to face him. He was a bit muddy from planting earlier, but the dirt didn't mind him at all. "Hiya! I told ya tha' we'd meet again," his grin shifted into a puzzled frown and he added, "Does me being a kid bother you?" He looked down at his shoes, then back up with that ridiculous grin, "I can change if you want!" He bobbed up and down, bouncing slightly in place.

"...Come again?" Elias managed at last, after a few silent moments spent staring blankly at the kid. He'd heard the words "I can change if you want," but he didn't think it was his tired state making it so he didn't understand. The kid just -did not- make sense. "Uhm... Right... You do that." He floundered for a few moments more, before realizing that the child had never answered -his- question - just countered with bizarre nonsense about "changing." "I need to get home, anyway. It's late. You should be doing that, too." Offering the kid one last look, part confusion and part curiosity, Elias made as if to walk off farther down the sidewalk.

Chino merely smiled, then watched Elias start to walk off before commenting. "This is my home," he motioned to the area around him. He glanced at the freshly planted ice plant and smiled almost nostalgically. "Iunno…I'm still out here 'cause I am," he answered lamely to the question that was asked earlier, while bringing his gaze to meet Elias. "Anyways, have a good night! I'll see you again," he grinned cheerfully, then squatted beside the plants once more and resumed the position he was in before Elias showed up.

Elias stopped in his tracks, just a few paces past where Chino was already crouching back down. "You live... Here? Your home is... Here?" he echoed, not sure what was more surprising. The fact that this strange little kid was calling a stray patch of sidewalk home, or the fact that the same kid thought that he could change himself merely because Elias willed it to be so. He didn't like kids much, but what conscience he had was whining loudly about what might happen to a child such as Chino were the boy left on the street by his lonesome. "...You sure you're safe here?" he added, lamely.

"Huh?" Chino jerked his head up, amazed that Elias was still standing there. He looked around for a moment, as if he hoped that there was someone else who was being asked this weird question. And when he realized that it was he that was being questioned, he blushed with embarrassment and replied, "Iunno. I've only been here for today, so I'm not sure. It seemed pretty safe…" He trailed off, staring at the plants with a blank expression. Sighing, he stood up and stretched his arms over his head. With a sidelong glance at Elias, he says, "You're not actually offering what I think you are, are you?"

The kid had only been there for a day. And that stretch of sidewalk was his home. A... Day... Home...? Elias' poor brain refused to string the concepts together properly, and after another minute of trying in vain, it simply gave up. Maybe the kid was a runaway, and had nowhere else to go, and had decided to live on this particular stretch of street because... Well, Elias didn't see the appeal, but at least if Chino were a runaway, things would begin to make sense. He was probably going to hate himself for it in the morning, but when Chino asked, he realized that he -was- "offering." "Yeah, I guess I am," he decided aloud, sounding both decisive and resigned. "You gonna come with, brat?"

Chino grins then shrugs his shoulders, "If you doan mind a little bichino like me hanging around for the night, then sure." He smiles and stands up, pushing himself up with his hands, then dusts his pants off - although they were covered in dirt from playing around in soil, so it didn't help much. He took a few steps forward, then hesitated, "Are you really sure about this?"

"'Bichino'?" Elias countered, rather than answering directly. He wasn't really sure if he wanted the grubby kid hanging out in his sparse, neat little apartment, but he -did- know that he didn't really want the kid to spend the night on the street. There were all -sorts- of nasty people about who might... Well... Do -something- to a defenseless little brat sleeping on the sidewalk. Having further made up his mind, he offered one hand to the child. "It's not a problem. Come on."

"Bichino - means bitch. It's a mix of Spanish and Common I think…" He shrugs, "Street language." He smiles, truly grateful that Elias would take in a kid like himself. Though, if Elias really didn't like kids, Chino would change for him, given the right time. After a moment of awkward silence, he adds quietly, "Thank you," then a bit louder, "I'm Chino."

"Right," Elias said simply. Just his luck. He'd picked up a kid with an eclectic vocabulary. Things were bound to be interesting, at the least. He wondered if the boy's name might be derived from his "street language," or if that was just a coincidence. He wasn't particularly skilled with both thank-yous and apologies, so made as if he hadn't heard Chino's offer of thanks. "I'm Elias," he added after another moment. One pause more, and then he started to walk off. It was up to the kid to make sure he followed and kept up.

Chino grinned, then skipped to catch up, mumbling Elias' name a few times under his breath, making sure to register his name properly. Although he was short, he kept up easily; he was in great physical condition, but he was very compact. After several minutes of looking around constantly, Chino wanted to understand where he was and where he was going; it'd be important later. "Oh, d'ya think… I could clean up and maybe borrow an old shirt or something?" Chino realized that he was fairly dirty, which was an understatement, and recalled Elias' reaction to bumping into him earlier in the day.

"Oh... Sure," Elias agreed, shrugging along with his words. The request had been a simple one, and even his sleep-deprived brain had understood. However, he was beginning to hope that they could hurry up and arrive at his apartment. If the boy tried too hard to keep up a conversation, Elias was bound to start stumbling over his words. He didn't want to agree to anything he might regret later. "...Like take a bath? Right when we get there?" ...He sincerely hoped the kid could manage to bathe himself, if that were the case. Staying up to help Chino take a bath was beyond what Elias was presently capable of.

Chino nodded his head, "Yeah, a bath would be fine." He got the hint that Elias was tired and worn out from work, so he kept himself satisfied by remembering the street names, and store names that they passed. It wasn't difficult at all to tell that Elias was bound to fall over, dead asleep the moment he caught a chance to. So, Chino figured he would honor him by staying quiet and walking a little faster so that they could get to the apartment sooner.

Elias wasn't about to admit as much, but he was thoroughly grateful to the kid and whatever gods might be looking on for the silence. Without any further interruptions, the rest of the walk to his building passed in little time at all. A few minutes of fiddling with elevator buttons and room keys later, and Elias and Chino were both inside the man's small apartment. The room they first came into was a living room of sorts combined with the "entranceway," and as soon as he'd ushered Chino in, Elias shut the door and slumped heavily against it. "You want me to show you the bathroom?" he asked then, sounding just as tired as he looked.

Chino shook his head, "It's alright, just tell me which direction it's in, and what towel I can use, and I'll manage it myself." He looked around for a moment, noting the clean interior, so he bent down and took his shoes off, leaving them by the door, then promptly rolled his pants up to keep them from dragging on the ground, then took his socks off too and held them. Confident that Elias would not be happy at all if he got any speck of dirt on the floor or walls, Chino waited for a moment, wanting to make sure that it was safe to walk on the floor.

Elias watched in silent fascination as Chino carefully adjusted his clothing. He was a bit relieved to be given a moment to rest against the solid door, but he had -never- before seen a child of the age Chino appeared to be acting like -that.- Kids were usually impulsive and reckless. They hardly -ever- noticed things like clean floors, and -never- actually went out of their way to avoid dirtying said floors. "It's in the same 'direction' I'm already going," he said simply, once Chino appeared to be set. A bit of his incredulous amazement had crept into his voice, but he merely shook his head and walked towards a door in the opposite wall, gesturing for Chino to follow. The kitchen was to the right, the bedroom through the door ahead, and the small bathroom off the side of that.

"Thanks!" Chino followed along, mindful to keep his clothes from touching the spotless floor. He stopped at the door to the bathroom, watching Elias for a moment, then turned on the bathroom light and closed the door behind him. After a quick look around, he found a spare towel, thankful that it wasn't white, and sets it down on the countertop of the sink. It took just another moment to figure out the right temperature for the water, as at first he burned his hand then promptly froze it, before getting it right.

Elias hovered outside the door of the bathroom for a few moments; no matter what he might think about staying up with the kid, he didn't want to have Chino drowning himself in Elias' tub while the man slept. A few moments of watching were enough to ensure Elias that Chino would be fine on his own, and he turned away. He kicked off his own shoes by the side of his bed, scrounging around in his dresser for a shirt - black, bearing a gaming logo, and quite large enough to serve as a -dress- for Chino - before depositing said shirt just inside the bathroom. "Sleep on the couch or wherever," he mumbled in Chino's direction as he turned away, slumping down on his bed and beginning to drag the various articles of clothing comprising his suit off of his body.

Chino smiled, then striped and got into the bath. After twenty minutes of soaking and scrubbing his skin, and a thorough cleansing of his hair, he drained the tub and dried himself off. But before he got dressed, he filled the tub with hot water again, making sure to disinfect any germs he might have introduced while he bathed, then drained it once again. Only then did he dare get changed into the shirt that was provided. Chino didn't know enough about shame, so he didn't have a second thought about putting his boxers on again; they were dirty after all. A nice, clean Chino left the bathroom sometime around 2:30am and plodded out to where he had seen the couch, and made himself comfortable on it, seeing no need for a blanket since it was comfy in the apartment and the shirt went down to his knees easily. A few moments after looking around the room, he fell asleep.

By the time Chino exited the bathroom, Elias was happily asleep in his bed and completely oblivious to the boy's movements about his house. He slept a rough seven hours before the sun creeping in through his bedroom window despite the shades got the better of him, and forced him into wakefulness. A few groggy moments were spent just sitting up in bed scrubbing at his eyes, before Elias dragged himself to his feet and over to his closet, in order to find some nice comfy athletic pants, or -something- to wear over his boxers. He wouldn't be working that day, and didn't have to worry about dressing nicely until the afternoon on the following day. After locating and donning a questionably orange pair of pants, Elias wandered out of his bedroom to the living room, intent on finding some breakfast. He'd entirely forgotten about the kid he'd brought home - after all, he really did have a memory like a sieve for day-to-day facts.

Chino yawned when he awoke. As he had napped for a while yesterday, and now he had had plenty of sleep, so he'd be groggy for a while. "Nnn," he winced, his joints were sore and his muscles ached - probably from being bent over, planting yesterday he thought. He looked down at his hands and smiled, wriggling his fingers; it was awesome to have hands, he mused to himself. …He blinked then turned his hands over. His hands were bigger, not much, but slightly. Panicking at the thought of having gigantic hands, he quickly checked the rest of his body, and then noted that it too, was a little bigger. Chino sat on the couch, holding his shirt down over his thighs; sure, the shirt was plenty big last night, but now his body was a bit bigger (roughly that of a fifteen year old, verses his previous eight year old body). He heard Elias coming, and wasn't looking forward to the prospect of trying to explain this to him.

Elias paused, halfway through the door between his bedroom and the living room area, upon hearing a low little moaning-sound coming from the other room. He'd been a bit groggy himself, but sounds of any sort in his apartment at eight in the morning were quite the rarity, and he snapped to attention instantly. His eyes locked upon the boy sitting on his couch instantly, but his brain refused to make the connection even as he stared. He was sure he should -know- how the boy had come to be there, -really- he was... But he couldn't remember much past passing out in his bed the night before after a lethargic bit of stripping. He really didn't remember bringing Chino back to his apartment, nor did he remember fetching the shirt - he recognized that shirt! - for the boy. "What... The shit?" he managed after a moment, and continued to stare.

Chino's face flushed when he heard Elias. He groaned and hung his head, "I…told you…I'd change." He mumbled to himself incoherently, feeling his face burn hot with embarrassment. Then after a moment, he realized that maybe Elias didn't remember anything from last night; he had been really out of it. "Could you at least get me something to wear?" His voice was strained from embarrassment.

"...Right, kid," Elias agreed a bit dumbly, after another significant delay during which his brain attempted to process the scene playing out before it. In addition to being sleep-clogged and generally confused, though, Elias' brain was attempting to both leer at his scantily-clad guest who he didn't remember inviting home, and attempting to scold itself for eying someone a full decade younger than him, if appearances were any judged. "I'll be right back." Elias turned abruptly on his heel with that, staggering back out of the room and returning with a pair of forest green athletic pants that could have been a perfect match for the ones he already wore, save for the color. "...So where'd you come from?"

Chino took the pants from Elias, as awkwardly as possible, since he didn't want to get up…and yeah. So he answered the question, "I was on the street, and you picked me up. I came home with you last night…and yeah." He summed up pretty much everything with that. Shrugging his shoulders, he added, "I'm not sure what you intended to do with me afterwards, but thanks for letting me stay for the night."

"Right," Elias said again, feeling a bit like a broken record. If it hadn't been for the fact that the kid was already claiming his couch, he probably would have sunk heavily down onto it. His legs didn't seem like they were willing to hold him up much longer. He didn't -like- kids... Really. He didn't. What had possessed him to invite one home with him off of the -street-? And screw politeness. They were in Elias' apartment, and he wanted to sit down. "Budge over, kid. I don't know what I was smoking last night, but... Well, no more do I know what I'm going to do with you now. Damn." ...And damn again. It was his day off, too. He'd had -plans.- ...Which primarily involved caffeine and his computer, but the kid didn't need to know -that.-

Chino stared at Elias with a skeptical eye, and then moved over to make room. He snatched the pants when they were closer and stuffed them into his lap. He as hell wasn't going to change right here with Elias there, but then again he couldn't get up and go change as he'd have to move…and augh, just how aggravating would that be to pull off, thought Chino grudgingly. He kept silent for a moment then said, "I can leave if I'm pissing you off…" Although he already knew that might already be pissing the guy off just by confusing him. Either way, Chino'd let Elias decide for himself.

"Don't worry about it... What's your name again?" Elias had been about to say "kid," but he got the impression that he was -supposed- to know the boy's name, and already felt guilty for no real reason after the boy's suggestion to leave. Assuming he had willingly taken the kid in off the street, and assuming the t-shirt the boy was wearing -was- one of Elias', then it would be pretty cruel to just dump the boy back out like that. He'd figure out what to do with the kid - teenager, so why was he thinking of him as a kid? he wasn't -that- much older than the child - later. After he'd gotten some food and some coffee into his empty stomach. "Really... I'm gonna go... Coffee." Leaving it at that, Elias stumbled up off the couch and off into the kitchen.

Grateful that Elias was out of the room for enough time to change into the pants, he took that opportunity to do just that. However, the pants were still fairly big, but luckily he was taller now. Chino made his way to the kitchen and watched Elias from the doorway for a moment. "Name's Chino," he thought for a moment then laughed to himself. It rhymed with "bichino."

By the time Chino had come over to the kitchen entranceway, Elias was seated slumped at his sad little kitchen table, the coffee percolating quietly over on the counter. He glanced up when he heard Chino's voice, and merely shrugged a shoulder in initial response. He should have known the boy's name already, he was sure, and the boy probably already knew his. He didn't know what to say. "...So what brilliant reason did I give last night for dragging you home?" Elias asked at length, wanting desperately for his coffee to finish brewing. Hopefully the kid's answer wouldn't force him to reconsider his own morality.

"Iunno. After I mentioned that I was on the streets, you offered to let me stay here." Chino shrugged then leaned against the doorframe. At least he was clean now, so Elias shouldn't have any issues with him touching anything inside the apartment now. "You didn't mention how long you'd tolerate me being here, so I figured just for the night would be enough." He smiled lightly, though he wasn't sure if the smile would be appreciated or not, or even if it would be noticed.

"Do you drink coffee?" Elias asked after another pause. Apparently he hadn't sounded -too- crazy the night before, because the boy, Chino, didn't seem to have any obvious problems with his behavior. Beyond that, he didn't want to deal with anything else until he'd ingested at least eight ounces of liquid caffeine. Oh, how his brain would love that. Not waiting for an answer from Chino, he rose from his chair and wandered over to the kitchen cupboards, retrieving one mug and hovering there, not sure if he should grab a second or not.

Chino shook his head then said, "I'm alright, thanks anyways." He shifted his weight a bit, feeling uneasy for some reason. When he went to shift his weight again, he could feel the pants slipping off his hips; this wasn't good. If he just shifted to the left again…they'd fall off, he thought nervously. Oh gawd, he mentally slapped himself, just pull them up and stop being such a baby! But no, Chino didn't listen to his conscience and just leaned against the wall, looking rather nervous.

"Suit yourself," Elias murmured, with sudden cheer. Coffee was done, coffee was done, and he wouldn't be sharing at all. Oh, sweet caffeine, Elias' one true love. He was too busy pouring himself a large mug of the dark steaming liquid to notice the difficulties Chino was presently having with his pants, and even with his leering from before, Elias wouldn't much -care- at the present. He and his coffee needed a moment alone together. He leaned over his mug, inhaling deeply before taking a large gulp of the torturously hot coffee. It burned all the way down. Only then did he turn back to his impromptu guest. "Anything else you'd like?" he asked, even more chipper than before, now -completely- oblivious to Chino's troubles.

Chino shook his head and mustered a smile, "I'll be fine! I'm not hungry or anything." Or so he said. Actually, he never ate breakfast; just a rather large lunch. But anyways, he shrugged it off and turned away to return to the couch. All of a sudden he became rather tired; prolly from growing so much during the night, he mused as he sat down on the couch. The pants he wore were practically falling off his hips and the shirt only came down to a few inches past the hips, so there wasn't much skin showing. Sighing, Chino closed his eyes and laid his head back, trying to take a quick five-minute nap.

Elias watched Chino's relatively hasty retreat, the caffeine continuing to slowly kick in. Not feeling much for an actual breakfast himself, regardless of his doubts in regards to Chino's honesty, Elias topped off his mug of coffee after taking another large gulp, and trailed Chino out into his living room. He gave the boy - eyes closed, not -quite- lying down - a once over, and grinned almost despite himself. Maybe the kid wasn't used to being up early unless he had to...? Elias didn't know; he was leaning against the side of the couch and drinking his coffee down in large gulps. He still didn't know what he wanted to do with Chino, but it suddenly didn't seem to matter as much.

Chino sighed and cracked his neck; it was stiff from sleeping on the couch. Opening his eyes, he glanced at Elias and was surprised to see the other man staring at him. No wonder he couldn't nap…there was someone watching him! Chino smirked and stared back for a bit. But then his eyes started to irritate him, so he lay down on the couch on his tummy with his head propped up on the arm of the couch with his eyes closed.

Elias shrugged in response to Chino's little delay, finishing off what was left in his current cup of coffee. It was obvious that Chino was still sleepy, and seeing as Elias had already invited the boy into his home, he might as well go ahead and let the boy sleep some more, too. He went back into the kitchen and consumed another mug's worth of coffee, idly wondering for how long Chino might desire to sleep, and whether or not he'd be able to log in some time on his computer in the meantime.

Chino smiled at Elias' back, and then made himself comfy on the couch. In a matter of moments he fell asleep. And he would continue to sleep until Elias was finished with his computer business. It didn't matter to Chino how long he slept; he'd just grow a little more in the mean time since that's when he grew the most…that is, until he was at the age Elias might "accept." That thought brought a smile to his lips as he slept.

Elias wasn't aware of Chino's body's curious ability to interpret his "needs" and act accordingly, so after finishing off the pot of coffee and placing his mug in the dishwasher for later, he slipped back into the living room to check on his guest. Seeing that Chino was still asleep, he proceeded to head into his bedroom and to spend an hour working on his latest pet project. To Elias, the time felt like little more than minutes, but glancing at the computer clock revealed the true time, and he jumped back up from his computer in order to go check on Chino. He'd had his coffee and a relaxing stretch of time with his other life-long lover, and was quite possibly now capable of dealing with the puzzle that was the presence of a child in his home.

Chino yawned stirring slightly, but he still slept. The change was hardly noticeable, but he had aged just a few months, practically nothing compared to the seven-year gap from last night. As he rolled over, his shirt lifted up and exposed a stretch of his back, which was oddly tan since he hadn't been outside in awhile.

Standing halfway between the doorway to the bedroom and the couch, Elias paused. Chino was obviously still asleep, but he didn't really want the boy to sleep -all- day, even if he'd originally hoped to get some work done on that new program of his on his day off. If Chino slept straight through until evening, he was sure the decision of whether or not to let the boy stay another night would be made for him. Either way, he couldn't really concentrate on his programming, even -with- caffeine. Shrugging, he crossed the rest of the gap between himself and the couch and seated himself on the edge of a cushion. Chino had stirred slightly; maybe he was about to wake up.

Chino finally woke up, even groggier than before. He yawned, tried to cover it, but failed. Shaking his head in hopes of waking up faster, he groaned. His joints ached again! Muttering to himself under his breath, he finally looked up at Elias, mind foggy from all the sleep. "Oh…umm…morning?" He wasn't sure what time it was, but since Elias was sitting in the same room, he guessed that the man must be done with his work to spend time staring at him of all things.

"Morning," Elias echoed, sounding quite obviously bemused. He'd been idly watching the exposed bit of Chino's tanned skin between the hem of -his- shirt and the waistband of -his- pants, and had only just caught himself. He felt distinctly dirty. "How long do you usually sleep, anyway?" he asked idly, leaning back against the couch cushions now that he didn't have to worry over waking Chino up himself. He wanted to talk about where the boy would go if he -didn't- stay with Elias... But he wasn't overly eager to segue into that just yet.

Chino yawned again, sitting up and stretching. While he stretched, his tummy became exposed, but the shirt dropped back down to cover it after a brief moment. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he managed to muffle some sort of speech through another yawn, "I…usually…sleep for as…" Finishing his yawn, he shook his head, snapping awake at last and continuing, "long as I can. Oh," staring down at the floor in front of Elias' feet, his cheeks burned hot, "I didn't bother you or anything, did I? Didn't say anything strange or snore?" Smiling, he laughed heartily and rubbed the back of his neck. Today his hair was mainly a light shade of brown with sandy-blonde tips on his bangs, however how awesome it was colored, it was bedraggled.

If anything was different about Chino's appearance from the night before, Elias couldn't tell the difference. After all, he couldn't even -remember- the night before. Idly, he wondered if he was blacking things out, now, or if it was still "just him." "No, no snoring," he pointed out, idly. Chino hadn't bothered him, mostly because he hadn't stuck around long enough to -be- bothered. If Chino had done anything weird, then he did it while Elias was on his computer. "Or odd sleep-talking. Were you -expecting- to say weird things in your sleep?" The last words were voiced with obvious amusement, and Elias smiled. As far as he could tell, Chino was a surprisingly agreeable guest.

Chino grinned, then shook his head, "Nah. I just doan wanna be a bother to you." Smiling, he hugs his knees to his chest and props his head on them to stare at Elias. "So...what'cha gonna do now?" He said, then more importantly, "Err, what time is it?" He still didn't know what time it was as his internal clock was still screwed up, but that would be thanks to having never known the time without the sun's aid. "Mmm," he mumbled to himself, rocking back and fourth slightly.

Elias opened his mouth, as if to reply, before hearing Chino's second question. Just as well; he really wasn't sure what to do, and was quite happy to glance down at his watch instead. "Almost eleven," he revealed. "Ten fifty-four, to be more exact." ...And that was a funny thing. Even considering his being up relatively early, and considering how little Elias had actually -done- that morning, he would have expected it to be later. "You're not a bother," he added out of nowhere. "Actually, you're probably the least-obtrusive person under eighteen that I've ever met, let alone lived with." Of course, considering that Elias had only ever lived with his mother... The comment wasn't worth much. It wouldn't be so bad if the kid stuck around. He couldn't really kick him out - didn't have the nerve. Not that he'd -say- so, not out loud.

"Well that's a relief," Chino said with a sigh. "And it's only eleven, eh? I'm not tired at all-" He chuckled, realizing that he had been sleeping for most of the day- no wonder he wasn't sleepy! "Are you tired?" Chino's voice was full of concern, and it was sincere; he didn't want Elias getting sick. His grey-blue eyes stared at the other man, looking for any signs of fatigue.

"No..." Elias said slowly, a bit off-put by the level of concern Chino was expressing. People didn't often worry over his health or well-being, so having someone he barely knew sincerely looking him over put Elias totally off balance. He -wasn't- tired, anyway. Seven hours was more sleep than Elias -usually- got. "I still need to figure out what to do with you, you know," he cautioned, not wanting to forget what was supposed to be the -point- of their little conversation.

"Ah," Chino nodded, agreeing although he truthfully didn't want to leave Elias. Not now anyways...He still wanted to get to know him more. After cracking his neck, he unfolded his legs and sat properly on the couch. "Mmm," his body was stiff and sore from sleeping too much, so he leaned forward and rubbed his shoulder for a moment, then switched to other one. After that was in order, he merely smiled then said, "What age do ya go for?"

Elias was mildly distracted by all of Chino's shifting about; considering the fact that he couldn't -understand- why people "cracked" various body parts, listening to Chino's neck popping was enough to derail his brain. Upon hearing Chino's question, he proceeded to stare at the boy dumbly for longer than could possibly be considered reasonable. He didn't think he'd heard correctly. What "age" did he "go for"? "...Come again?"

Chino's grin grew even wider, if possible, and he let out a laugh. Doubling over, he continued into giggle fits, until he composed himself after a few minutes. "Ahh...sorry," he wiped a tear from his eye, "I bet that sounded weird...Anyways," he swallowed and smiled, his cheeks were pink from laughing so hard, "I was wondering what age range you went after."

"Somehow, the underlying humor here continues to elude me," Elias deadpanned, while arching a brow and glancing over at Chino with an odd expression plastered across his face. His conscience had already decided to "keep" the kid, so naturally it was only -now- that Chino proved to be just a -bit- off his rocker, so to speak. "...I don't suppose your goal here is to get me a -date- in exchange for my allowing you to stay here longer...? Because I never said anything about payment. Let alone eclectic payment like -that.-"

Chino smirked, and then shook his head. "Aye...you're the one who doesn't remember anything." Grinning, he propped his head on his fist, which was leaning on his leg. "Ah, I guess you don't remember," he repeated, "but when I first met ya, I was about eight." He grinned and closed his eyes. "Then the next time you remember seeing me, I was the way I am now," he continued. He paused for a moment, unsure if he should continue on or not. By this point, Elias would be so confused as to understand any words that may come out of his mouth.

"...I don't suppose you'll just keep growing at that rate?" Elias asked after a prolonged bit of silence, clearly not believing a word Chino was saying. Of course, if Chino -did- grow roughly seven or eight years a night, Elias could just house him for a week or so, and would be buying him a coffin shortly after that. ...Or maybe cremation. Burning might be cheaper... Not that he believed that there was a -need- to be arranging a funeral. Oh no. That would make about as much sense as Elias taking in an eight-year-old off the street. Elias' head was beginning to ache quite pointedly.

Chino shook his head, "Nah. I'll stop when I want to." He sighed and leaned forward again, "And that's why I was questioning you about ages." He brought his head back up, the goofy smile gone from his features. He was serious now, or was trying to look serious so that there would be some hope of Elias following his story. But after all, who could blame poor Elias for not being confused? Oh well. Better try and tough it out, thought Chino bitterly.

Elias blinked, and then shrugged. Assuming what Chino was suggesting was even possible... "I don't suppose you can do 'younger,' too? Oh... Um... Not that I -want- you to get younger... Heh..." ...Because Elias didn't want Chino to de-age. -Really- he didn't. He just wanted to know whether Chino would profess it being possible. It was almost as if Chino had some sort of fountain-of-aging thing going; Elias wondered to himself how long Chino would live for, if he could phase into any age he chose. ...He -really- didn't want to be dealing with an even younger child. Again? Honest. It was probably a bad sign that he had to keep mentally reassuring himself. "...Why don't you just age yourself up a bit and put child services out of the equation?"

Chino blinked, and then tilted his head to the side. "I suppose I could do younger...but it's harder. Growing up is easier," he smiled, all of a sudden happier, "age up a bit more? I can do that. I suppose... a few more years would be alright then?" He hugged his knees to his chest again and blushed faintly.

"Yeah. That'd be fine," Elias agreed dimly, some small portion of the back of his mind wondering exactly what he was agreeing to. Of course, if Chino were aged up to eighteen or thereabouts, he might be able to get the boy a job... Assuming Chino could handle one. Chino didn't exactly act like a child, but he didn't exactly act like an -adult,- either. That probably made his claims even less credible. Elias had no idea why he was believing the boy. The back of his mind suggested a few lewd reasons, before being hastily berated into submission.

Chino smiled and started to nibble on his knuckles; he was hungry, but didn't know that that's what the dull ache in his stomach meant. He just sat there, smiling and chewing his knuckles while staring at Elias. That got boring quick, so he asked, "That means I can stay here for a little bit then?" Chino knew vaguely in the back of his mind that he would need to find a way to support himself as he couldn't rely on Elias for everything.

"Yeah, that means you can stay here for a bit," Elias agreed - still a bit numbly - before rising from the couch. "I guess that also means I should feed you sometime. That gnawing thing you're doing is really fucking bizarre." Not elaborating further, Elias turned and headed into the kitchen for a second time that morning, taking for granted that Chino would follow. Hopefully Chino wasn't too picky; the pickings in Elias' kitchen weren't the best. He lived almost solely on caffeine.

Chino smiled and got up as well, following after Elias like a good little boy. Seeing that they were going to the kitchen, he blinked, wondering if Elias needed more coffee. He still wasn't aware that he needed food, as when he was a slug, eating was just instinct. He smiled, content for the moment because Elias had accepted him more or less...for the moment at least.

"Go. Sit down," Elias more-or-less commanded, waving Chino past him in the direction of the table. He wanted to get Chino seated and out of the way, allowing him to focus all of his attention on the opened refrigerator door. The shelves of his fridge were surprisingly bare. There was about a cupful of milk left in a container that held a quart, along with a pitcher of iced tea. For food, there were a few questionable Tupperware containers, some plain white bread, and the beginnings of a salad in the vegetable crisper. Elias thought he might also have some ice cream and dried cereal, in addition to his bags upon bags of various junk foods. He'd have to go shopping. "...You're hungry, right?"

Chino took the order and immediately took a seat at the table. He blinked, and then looked down at his stomach. "Hungry?" It took a moment for him to register the word, and then the light bulb turned on. "Oh! I see...yeah, I'm hungry...I think." He thought for a moment, wondering what he could eat, regardless of the contents of Elias' fridge. "Umm...got anything plant-wise?" He asked after thinking back to life as a slug.

Elias just shook his head in response to Chino's uncertainty - how could you not know if you were hungry? - still facing the contents of his fridge. Then again, if Chino was a vegetarian... All of the vegetarians Elias knew were female, and they didn't tend to eat much to begin with. That could explain why Chino didn't know if he was hungry. Elias privately knew that "vegetarian" or no, Chino's bizarre tendencies were more complex than that... But after accepting the aging bit, he quite preferred a small amount of blissful ignorance. He grabbed a somewhat wilted-looking head of lettuce out of the crisper, and turned back to Chino. "...This plantlike enough for you?"

Chino stared at it for a moment, then nodded, "Looks like it!" He said cheerfully, leaning back in the seat slightly. Since he didn't weigh too much at the moment, he need not fear of falling backwards onto the floor. While he waited for food, Chino amused himself by looking around the kitchen and under the table. Ho? He stared at his feet, and then wriggled the toes. It was just so weird having toes. But it was nice to have hands, he thought with a slight chuckle to himself.

"Ah... Do you want me to -do- anything with your lettuce, then?" Elias asked after a pause where Chino merely -sat- and said -nothing.- "Do you want me to make you a salad or something? ...Or just put it on a plate?" The latter would actually be preferable, Elias decided as he shut the refrigerator door. He didn't have any salad dressing. While waiting for Chino's verdict of sorts, he proceeded to fetch himself a box of Fruit Loops. He was hungry too, after all, and what better breakfast than sugary cereal with absolutely no food value?

Chino blinked, and then tilted his head to the side. "I don't really care...how would you eat it?" He asked while tilting his head to the other side. He didn't have much preference on how it would be served, since it'd all end up in the same place anyways. Plus, he didn't know what else you'd eat with lettuce.

"I wouldn't eat it," Elias pointed out flatly, all while brandishing his box of candy cereal as if to illustrate a point. "I have no idea how that got into my fridge. It might be -good- for me. Consuming it would go against my religious beliefs." Elias wasn't really sure whether or not Chino would understand sarcasm, but figured it wasn't a big deal. He deposited the lettuce and box of cereal beside Chino, and drifted over to his kitchen cabinets in search of a few clean bowls.

Chino grinned and took the box of cereal in both hands and read the back of it. He read for a moment, and then looked back at the lettuce. "Erm, I'll have this instead." Upon closer inspection, he noted that the lettuce looked sickly, and he would not eat sick looking plants. He nibbled his knuckle for a moment, looking at the Nutritional Facts label; he just started at it blankly - he didn't know what anything on it was. He flipped the box back over and looked at it with a quirked brow. "Just what's in this anyways?"

Having retrieved the required bowls, Elias reappeared behind Chino, rescuing his precious junk food from the unwitting clutches of his guest. In response to Chino's question, "Sugar. Lot's and lots of sugar." And some artificial flavorings, and maybe even some poor, misplaced grains. He placed both bowls in front of Chino with a silly little flourish, popped the tab on the top of the box, and poured generous servings of Fruit Loops into both bowls. "It's called cereal," he amended, gesturing at the bowls. "I don't know if you'd like it." He didn't add that Chino seemed like the bi-product of a pair of health nuts, and therefore wouldn't be able to deal with the sugar content.

Chino picked up the bowl that was closest to him and sniffed the cereal. Sugar eh? It definitely smelled different from the sugar in plants...then again...meh. He put the bowl back down, glancing up at Elias in case he did something disapproving by picking it up. "It smells fine," he said. "Do you eat it dry? Or add something to it?" Upon inspection of the food, it seemed rather dry and crunchy. Not at all edible looking. And besides, the front of the cereal box had the product in question in a white liquid.

"I'm really just bothering with -bowls- because you're here," Elias admitted. Privately, he was quite amused by Chino's inspection of the cereal. "I usually just eat it out of the box while sitting at my computer. You want some milk to put on it?" He gestured back at the fridge, picking up his own bowl and making as if to go fetch the milk. In the meantime, he scooped a handful of colorful little cereal bits into his mouth, demonstrating that yes, Elias -did- eat the apparently unappetizing-looking food dry.

Chino picked up one of the colorful little rings and tentatively placed it on his tongue. It was rather packed full of sugar, but that didn't bother him. He went on to chew it, then swallowed what was left of it. Shrugging, Chino said, "Doesn't bother me dry." He grinned and picked up a few more and plopped them into his mouth to eat. Chew, chew, swallow... He picked a smell handful this time and crammed them all in at once.

Elias paused halfway between the fridge and the table, bowl in hand and mouth full of cereal, in order to stare at Chino. He could believe that the boy had never encountered candy cereal before. He -could.- That still didn't make the examination of said cereal any less comical. After taking a moment to get over the fact that his food apparently was up to par with Chino, Elias shrugged and snagged a chair from the table. Once seated, he followed Chino's example; they probably made quite a pair judging on table manners alone.

Chino munched on the cereal silently, occasionally stealing a glance up at Elias between mouthfuls of the "food." Once the bowl was empty and his tummy sated, he stared at his hands. There were rather sticky after handling the cereal. Standing up, he scooted the chair back, then took the bowl up in a hand and walked over to the sink. He laid the bowl down on the counter top, and then turned on the faucet so that he could rinse his hands off. Once that was accomplished, he turned the water off and looked around for a towel or something to dry them with. If he was out of luck, he would just wipe them off on the pants, although. He wasn't sure if that would piss Elias off or not, seeing as how the man came off as a neat freak (well, at least with the way he kept up with the apartment).

When Chino rose with his bowl - to clean off, Elias assumed, even before Chino had reached the sink - Elias merely turned his chair around. He'd finished the cereal in his bowl as well, but chose to continue eating from the box instead of following Chino's hesitant lead. No need to rush; watching Chino was interesting enough. The towel the boy was searching for was draped primly over the handle on the oven door, although if Chino were to head into Elias' bedroom and over to Elias' desk, he would find a second towel lurking there. As often as Elias ate in front of his prized computer, he -was- just as much of a neat freak as he seemed, and wasn't about to get -crumbs- in his keys.

Spotting the towel, Chino dabbed his hands off on it, then straightened it back to how it was before he touched it. At least he knew how to tidy things up and not make too much of a mess. He glanced at the bowl, then to Elias, a puzzled look on his face. "What do ya want me to do with that?" He shrugged in the general direction of the bowl. "Leave it in the sink, or wash it?" Or leave it...though you prolly wouldn't approve of that, he smirked.

"You want to do my dishes for me?" Elias "asked," although his tone was carefully bland to the point where the words were more statement than question. He gestured idly at his own emptied bowl, wondering if Chino might take the initiative and do both of their dishes. Neat freak he might be, but Elias was also notoriously lazy. There had to be -some- perks to letting near-strangers live in one's house, and having said pseudo-stranger do one's dishes would suit Elias just fine.

Grinning, Chino nodded his head and took the bowl from in front of Elias back to the sink. He looked around for a moment for a sponge and soap. He found the sponge soon enough, but the soap...it eluded him. But only for a moment, for he noticed there was a cabinet under the sink and after a quick look inside, he found the soap in question. Since there were only two bowls, no use in filling up the sink completely with hot water and soap, he mused. Instead, he let the water run for a moment till it was hot, and then got the sponge wet, squeezed the water out of it, and applied a generous amount of soap. Then he went to work, washing and scrubbing the two bowls. When he was done, he set the bowls somewhere to dry, and put the soap and sponge away.

As much as Elias might have -hoped- Chino would up and do his housekeeping for him, he hadn't actually -expected- Chino to do so. While Chino set to washing their dirty dishes, Elias remained immobile, one hand suspended halfway between his mouth and the box of cereal, clutching a small handful of Fruit Loops. He managed to regain his composure before Chino finished washing, and was back to munching silently on cereal by the time Chino put the cleaning supplies away. "I don't suppose you know any other tricks," Elias murmured, his slightly sarcastic tone not -quite- of the sort used when asking questions. Not waiting for an answer, he closed the cereal box and slid past Chino, returning it to its shelf.

Chino blinked, and then smiled. "Tricks?" He took a step back to make room for Elias as he brushed by. "Iunno. Last night I was wondering if you wanted me to clean your bathroom after I used it since I was well, rather muddy," he shrugged, "Meh. Just ask and I'll see what I can do." He thought for a moment, shifting his weight from foot to foot, staring blankly at the floor. "I guess...I can learn anything you want me to," he concluded and brought his gaze back up to meet Elias.

To himself, Elias thought that his guest was rapidly turning into something similar to his own personal indentured servant... But that was a point he wouldn't be particularly keen on sharing with Chino himself. "Just clean up after yourself, I guess," Elias said. He'd feel guilty if he -officially- turned Chino into his own personal housekeeper, and it was beginning to look as if the boy would be sticking around a while. It would probably be best if Chino just started to act like a roommate, and not a guest. Then Elias wouldn't feel so responsible for him. ...Of course, he wouldn't say no to a bit of housekeeping on the side, all told. "C'mon... I... What -are- we going to do with you?"

Chino blinked, and then tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling, thinking. "I could... Get a job. It's not that hard..." He thought back to yesterday and the landscapers, smiling. "Hmm..." Looking back at Elias, he kept smiling, "As payment for allowing me to stay here, for however long I'll be here that is, I can take care of the housework until I find a suitable job. Does that sound alright?"

"Deal," Elias decided almost instantly, accompanying the one word with a slow, almost-predatory smile. Then, jokingly, "You wanna go clean my bathroom after all?" Elias thought Chino might take him seriously, regardless of the fact that he was just teasing, but didn't much care either way. If Chino wasn't merely delusional, then he'd "grow" older by the following morning, and Elias would no longer feel like he was taking care of a kid. He -really- didn't like kids. He stoically ignored the part of his brain adding in that Chino was a pretty cute kid, and might soon be a pretty cute not-kid.

Chino blinked, remembering the bathroom's state before and after he used it. It really wasn't dirty, like it had only been cleaned thoroughly but not three days ago. He grimaces and says, "I don't…think it really needs to be cleaned." He fidgets with the hem of the shirt, staring at the floor and blushing. "Erm, I mean, it's already clean. Unless you want it to be devoid of any germs I might have left in the sink or in the tub." He brings his head back up, cheeks still flushed.

Elias blinked, paused for a second, and then started to laugh. He did -sort of- hope Chino wouldn't take it personally... But some of the things the kid said were just so damn bizarre. "You're right," he conceded simply after sobering. "I wasn't -actually- serious." He rose from his seat at the table, sliding the chair in behind him without even a thought. "You really are a weird kid. I mean, wouldn't you rather watch TV or something, instead of cleaning my bathroom or doing chores?"

"Eh?" Chino's eyes widened slightly, eyebrows perking up. "TV?" He smiles and curiously asks, "What is it?" He bounced a little in place, which caused his slightly too large pants to…well, drop a little bit lower, though they were pretty low to begin with. Calming down, he stopped his bouncing and shifted his weight between legs. "TV…do the letters represent anything?"

"Chino..." Elias said slowly, after yet another extended pause. He was floored. What kid made it to his fifteenth birthday without even -knowing- what television -was-? "...Did you grow up under a rock? Or something? 'TV' as in 'television.' As in one of various electronic boxes that most children older than five have more-or-less sold their souls to. You aren't just weird. You're inhuman."

Chino grins, wider than possible, and laughs childishly. "Well, y'know…I think I did! 'Cause there's lots of things I doan know 'bout." He giggles, poses ridiculously with his arms. "Umm, so yeah. Children…they actually sell their souls to these…boxes? Why would they do that? Are they that awesome or something?" Chino knew about some things, but he hardly knew anything about technology - except for cars, stop lights, and lights in general.

Elias shook his head, completely at a loss as to what he should -do- with Chino. He really wasn't the best man for explaining certain technological marvels - he wasn't vastly fond of television to begin with. "I was being sarcastic," he pointed out flatly. "I don't like television much. Kids do. You apparently -don't- and are therefore a scientific impossibility." ...Yes, he probably would have to ease up with the sarcasm. It wasn't really helping things. "Just... You wanna see what television does? C'mon." Shrugging, Elias turned and walked out of the kitchen, moving to sit on the couch and wait for Chino to follow suit.

Nodding dumbly, Chino followed along after Elias and plopped down beside him. He stifled a yawn; he was getting tired again already, but that was due to his body eating up so much of his energy. Only another night or two, he thought, staying optimistic. He yawned again, so he looked to Elias sleepily and tugged on his sleeve. "D'ya have anything that can keep me awake? Just for a little longer…"

"Coffee, tea, or carbonated beverage?" Elias asked simply, not missing a beat. He was practically a caffeine connoisseur. "Sit tight and I'll get you something. We'll play with the... Television... After that." Personally, Elias thought that it might be just as well if Chino merely slept, and if they -didn't- turn on the TV. He -really- didn't like television. Computers were nice; the television was just a soulless electronic box. Regardless of his various opinions, Elias rose again from the couch, moving to head back into the kitchen in search of whatever brand of caffeine Chino might request.

Chino thought over the choices as Elias got up to fetch the item he desired. So, he flopped over onto his tummy and stared towards the kitchen entrance before replying with a sharp "Carbonated!" He lifted his head up a moment later, and then sat up again, so as to make room for Elias if he decided to join him on the couch again. In the mean time, he looked around the living room, familiarizing with it once again. He was quite oblivious to the fact that Elias was not fond of TV at all, and that he might have gotten rid of the bloody "soulless box" somewhere along the line.

While Elias was privately uncertain as to whether or not Chino even knew what "carbonated" -meant,- the fact didn't stop him from rummaging around in his fridge for a can of cola. Neat as he was in other respects, he didn't bother finding Chino a glass. There was no reason to pointlessly make more dirty dishes. Elias returned to the living room in short order, bearing not just one but two soda cans. He offered one to Chino while reseating himself. "Television now?" he asked then, sounding only -slightly- resigned to the fate he'd set himself up for.

Chino took the soda and smiled his thanks. He picked at the tab for a moment then opened it. Luckily it hadn't been shaken, so his first experience with fizzy soft drinks wouldn't be dampened. "Ah…for a little bit at least," he replied, "But just enough to figure out what it is. It looks like you're not too fond of it yourself." Smiling faintly, he took a sip of the cola, tasted it for a moment, and then drank it normally in-between pauses.

"Oh, but we have to give you a proper education in the ways of pop culture," Elias deadpanned. Hopefully, Chino's reaction to television would be worth sitting down and turning the damn thing on. Elias -did- watch movies on occasion, so his TV was actually a decent one, if not one that was often in use. Popping the tab on his own soda can with one hand, Elias reached for the television remote, currently residing on the coffee table. He pressed the "power" button, and then took a swig from his can, not bothering to change the channel. The screen was displaying the TV guide.

Chino stared at the screen for a moment, and then looked back at Elias, then down at the remote. "What the heck is that thing?" He pointed with his free hand at the controller. "It…Uhh…" Chino failed completely at any attempt of forming English words, so he merely looked back at the TV screen for a moment, watching the programs slowly pan up the screen. He noted that in a corner of the screen there was a slot for the date and time, and occasionally the weather would pop up as the channels looped again. He was flabbergasted at all the information at first, but then he understood what it all was. And by the fifth time through all the channels, he turned back to look at Elias and quirk a brow. "This is…rather boring."

"That's my point," Elias said, with an almost scary amount of cheer. Even as he spoke, he shoved the remote into Chino's hands, and grinned widely. "Why don't you try pressing one of those -other- channels? Most people only watch the TV guide for reference." He shrugged, and waited to see whether Chino would figure out the puzzle that was a television remote control. He didn't bother answering as to "what the heck" the controller was; instead he took another swig of soda.

Chino grinned, and then nodded his head. "Alright!" After staring at the remote for a long moment, Chino's eyes started to flicker shut; he was getting sleepy, even with the caffeine that he had consumed. The remote almost dropped out of his hand, but he tightened his grip and accidentally pushed the 6 and 2 buttons. The boy let out a squeal of either shock or delight, maybe neither, and stared at the TV with gaping eyes. The channel was the food channel, obviously as the program was featuring something about snacks. Chino drank a little more sodie, and watched for a moment, almost forgetting about Elias.

Elias laughed quietly as he watched a rather glazed-looking expression slide over Chino's face. He wasn't overly surprised, either; he figured there would have to be -something- on television Chino would find at least marginally interesting, and having that "something" be food made sense. "Amused?" he asked calmly, wondering if Chino might actually come back to himself enough to answer. The boy had -seemed- like he was about to nod off, caffeine or no, and now he seemed positively enraptured.

Chino blinked, shook his head, and then looked at Elias. "Ah-" he blushed, "Umm…I guess. Food is rather interesting." He looked down at the remote and pushed a few other buttons, but changed them quickly for nothing was as interesting at the food channel. Well, for the moment at least. Finally, he came across a commercial that was advertising the new Nintendo (which wasn't due for several more years either). Chino tilts his head to the side, a puzzled expression on his face. "Is that a toaster?" He pointed at the game system (it did look like some sort of contraption bread went into and with the push of a button, voila! TOAST!).

Elias was still shaking his head in wary amusement as a result of Chino's relatively single-minded absorption. The question about toasters caught him completely off-guard. "...No. That's not a toaster." When he said as much, Elias' voice was a bit weak. He didn't want to have to explain gaming systems to a kid who had never heard of television. Doing so couldn't -possibly- be worth the headache Elias would earn as a result. He drank down the rest of his soda in one long swallow, and then moved to rise from the couch. "...You wanna just hang out here? And watch food? ...Or sleep?" Elias' tone was one of distinct amusement, even if having Chino occupied would have been nice. He still felt almost obligated to keep the kid entertained.

Chino shrugged his shoulder, "If you want to go do something else, I can keep myself entertained with this until I get sleepy." He smiled in his childish manner and took another swig of the cola; it was almost empty now. "Oh," he held up the can, "where do you want this when I'm done?" While waiting for Elias to answer, Chino flipped through a few more channels, trying to find something to amuse himself with, or perhaps, find a channel that could teach him a few things however doubtful that might be.

"There's a blue bin in the kitchen," Elias pointed out, even as he began walking off in that direction with his own can. "Just rinse that out in the sink and plop it in when you're done, okay?" Leaving Chino to his own devices actually sounded like a good plan. Much as he'd -felt- like it on occasion, he wasn't really Chino's babysitter. He -was- sort of setting himself up to be Chino's roommate, though, so he'd have to get used to just having the boy around. Basically, he'd probably go get on his computer and ignore the rest of the apartment in its entirety. He could worry about where he'd put Chino up nights from then on -later.-

Grinning happily, Chino nodded and went on with channel surfing. There were a few interesting programs, such as the gaming channel and the greatness that is the food network. Thanks to a short trip to the gaming channel, he found out that the machine he called a toaster earlier was indeed the new Nintendo game system that wouldn't be out for awhile; he also found out that there was a new Playstation system that would be arriving at the same time at the Nintendo. Chino merely smiled, and absorbed any information that was of interest to his little mind. An hour or so later, he got up to rinse the empty can out, then put it in the blue bin as directed by Elias. He turned off the TV next and settled down on the couch to sleep finally. It seemed that the caffeine had little to no effect on his energy levels.

While Chino channel-surfed, Elias was busy rinsing out his own can and stowing it away with the other recycling. His kitchen in an acceptable state, he passed back through the living room on the way to his bedroom and his computer desk. He didn't worry about what Chino might be doing when he turned on his computer -this- time, and didn't come back to himself from his programming until early evening, when his stomach began its usual mild protests. At least he'd gotten some good work done. He shut down his computer around eight, and returned to the living room so as to find out what had become of Chino.

While Elias worked on his love, the computer, Chino slept soundly on the couch. A little before Elias shut down his computer, the boy had rolled over in his sleep and was half off the couch; that position would prove to be quite bothersome when he awoke. Unlike the previous day, he didn't wake up at the same time Elias did, so he kept sleeping when he ventured to the living room. By now, Chino was "fully grown," or as close to what he'd be for now on until he started growing like a proper human, either way, he was around 6'1 -what a difference to that short, stubby body! His hair was quite different too; his bangs were a sandy blonde, light brown mix and the rest of his hair was a light-medium brown that was a bit shaggy in the back. Oddly enough, he had fairly tanned skin, probably naturally dark, and well toned muscles considering he hadn't done anything. So, he slept on, none the wiser of his physical changes.

Upon entering his own living room yet again, Elias was at least prepared to be greeted by a guest. He wasn't -quite- prepared for said guest to have shot up quite a bit in terms of height - even lying down, the difference to Chino's stature was obvious - but there wasn't much he could have done about that. Before -seeing- Chino aged a few years in front of his eyes, Elias hadn't fully believed the feat possible. Chino was still cute, and not baby-cute, either. He told himself privately that he was -just- licking his lips because they were dry. Computer geeks working low-end restaurant jobs didn't often entertain attractive guests - or roommates, now. He wondered if perhaps he should wake Chino up. Or something.

Chino was at such an odd angle that he was forced to wake up when he slipped off the couch entirely. "Mmmph," he growled into the carpet, as he was face down. He pushed himself over so that he was on his back, staring up at Elias. "Mmm? Morn'in?" was all his foggy brain could produce for a greeting. His muscles and joints ached yet again, and so did his back, which was from sleeping at an odd angle. Chino closed his eyes and sighed; it felt like he had only been asleep for an hour, though he had gotten too much sleep. He opened his eyes again, and blinked a few times; they were cloudy from sleep.

"Evening," Elias countered, moving the rest of the way across the floor in order to stand over Chino. He didn't immediately move to help the boy - young man? Chino wasn't really a -boy- any more - but his tone of voice was surprisingly even, surprisingly sure. "I don't suppose you'd care to get up off my floor... Or to eat, even." Elias grinned with that, and finally held out a hand in Chino's direction. Chino would still have to scramble into a sitting position and -reach- for the offering, naturally, but Elias thought it would probably be sufficient.

Chino grumbled and pushed himself up to a sitting position. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment; his back was killing him, but maybe the ache would go away once he got up and moved some. He took the offered hand to help him get up, after having to lean forward even more to reach the bloody hand that is. Once up on his feet, he rubbed the kinks out of his neck before even realizing that he was taller than Elias. Err, it was a bit weird being bigger than someone for once, but Chino shrugged the thought off. "Evening…Huh. Mmm," a yawn escaped from his lips as his stretched his arms over his head. At that moment he realized that Elias' formerly too big clothes were a bit tight and restraining in some areas

After pulling Chino to his feet, it actually hit home with Elias that -Chino was taller than him.- Well, that was new. He didn't actually consider himself to be -tall- or anything, but he worked in a place where most people sat down the majority of the time, and where most of the servers - the people standing up - were female. It was distinctly disconcerting. The fact that his clothes on Chino's body stretched in odd ways, on the other hand, was a bit -more- than disconcerting. Mmm, but that was nice. Stoically, he disregarded the fact in favor of releasing Chino's hand and gesturing at the kitchen. He kind of hoped Chino wouldn't ask for bigger clothes. He quite selfishly didn't want to take his new roommate shopping, and -could- admit as much, if only privately. "Dinner, then?"

Chino nodded and followed Elias into the kitchen. He wasn't even aware of the way Elias kept looking at him; at least it wasn't as bad as having the other man undress him with his eyes and leer for the remainder of the night. But anyways, Chino hadn't noticed, so he was unconcerned and content with the prospect of eating something. In the kitchen, he took a place near the table, but didn't take a seat, not yet at least. He watched Elias for the time being until he produced some grub to eat.

"I think I might have some soup or something around here... Somewhere..." Elias pointed out, just a -bit- self-consciously. It had seemed as if Chino was pleased enough with the cereal from "breakfast," but Elias did remember the sorry lettuce he'd initially presented the boy with. He probably -would- have to do some shopping. He should bring Chino with. If the boy -was- health-nut-spawn, it would be good for him. "D'you like soup? Tomato broth, with vegetables, I think?" Still talking, Elias went over to the kitchen cabinets and began digging through them, patiently avoiding staring at Chino too much. Oooh, attractive roommate. That would be -fun.- He distinctly remembered -not- deciding where Chino would be sleeping.

"Ah, that'll be fine!" Chino smiled and leaned back against the table after making sure it was stable enough to support his new weight. He lets out a tiny yawn, and then snaps awake to watch Elias curiously, making mental notes of where everything in the kitchen was. It'd be helpful to not have to ask him where everything was in the future. He smirks to himself, finally noticing the restricting clothing. Well…if he rolled the sleeps up on the shirt, it made it easier to deal with the tight shirt; actually, it wasn't so bad now. But the pants…he wasn't as worried about them since he was basically going commando, so nothing would get caught or anything…well, hopefully they wouldn't.

At about the same time Chino voiced his agreement, Elias withdrew a can of vegetable soup from the cabinet. There were a few more cans - Elias was prone to stocking up on things when it struck his fancy - and he wasn't sure if perhaps he should open two. "How hungry are you, anyway?" he asked, even as he dug around for a large bowl to pour the soup into, and for his can opener. "This is meant for two people, but there's not a lot if you split it." Can in one hand, dish in the other, Elias turned back to look at Chino. ...Oh, but that would -still- take some getting used to. He licked his lips again.

Chino shrugged and said, "I'm not that hungry, so one can ought to do it for us." He quirked a brow at the peculiar looks Elias wore when he looked at him again. He had started to notice from the time he woke up to now that Elias was eyeballing him strangely. Maybe there was something on his face? Or his hair was still bedraggled? Whatever it may be, Chino could see nothing wrong with himself at the moment to receive those looks. And now, Elias just licked his lips when he saw him. Maybe the man was hungry? Chino laughed hesitantly, unsure of what that could have meant.

"Okay," Elias agreed, although his voice sounded distant in his own ears. He didn't miss the eyebrow-raising on Chino's part, anal as he was about details, but chose to ignore it. Even if Chino noticed that he was acting just a -bit- off... Well, Chino was so -naive- about so many things. If it weren't for that, Elias would probably have considerably fewer reservations about hitting on a new roommate. It wasn't like Chino really had anywhere to -go- after all... And -that- was not a good thought. Turning away a bit belatedly, he set to opening the can of soup and popping the bowl containing the can's contents into the microwave. After doing so, he leaned against the counter and glanced over at Chino yet again.

Chino shrugged the weird thoughts off and stood up. The microwave sparked an interest in him, so he wandered over to it and bent over to stare at it for a moment. He soon learned that it was irritating to look at it, so he righted himself and looked at Elias with a sheepish grin and asked, "D'ya think I can bathe after eating?"

Elias shrugged initially, distracted from his less-than-subtle glancing by Chino's interest in the microwave. Technophile that he was, he was thoroughly surprised to find that he already considered Chino's constant interest and naïveté to be endearing, even cute. Thoughts to the effect of what -else- Chino might take an interest in were quickly squashed. "Yeah, I guess," Elias agreed, having no reason to object. The timer went off, and he retrieved the soup. It would probably be a bad idea to hang around the bathroom while Chino bathed. The idea still had appeal nonetheless. "We never officially decided where you'd be sleeping, either," he pointed out, as nonchalantly as he could.

Chino closed his eyes and smiled, "Well, I don't mind where I sleep. Though, some areas are more painful than others." Like the couch and floor, he added to himself with a chuckle. Chino edged off to the side in hopes of making more room for Elias to move around with the soup, though he wasn't sure if it would help any. Oh well, he rubbed his shoulder, since it was sore, while he waited for Elias to either tell him to move out of the way, or to go sit down.

Elias didn't really mind Chino's hovering about, even while he was gathering bowls to portion the soup into for the sake of sharing. He merely moved around the young man when he had to, and shortly had two smaller bowls, filled roughly equally, in addition to spoons for the both of them. "I just thought," he began calmly, tone of voice slow and even, "that if you're going to be rooming with me for some time, you -might- not want to stay on the couch every night. It didn't look very comfortable." Leaving Chino to draw his own inferences, Elias moved over to the table to deposit the bowls, seating himself and assuming Chino would do the same.

Chino watched mildly interested as Elias poured the soup into separate bowls, then followed suit and sat across from Elias. He stared at his soup then brought his gaze up, peering at Elias from around his bangs. "Err…then I should sleep on the floor?" He questioned with a helpless expression. Honestly, he didn't know where Elias intended for him to sleep. Chino thought over other possibilities, dismissing them as soon as they came up until he came to the only other solution. "Or…with you?" He swallowed and aimed his gaze at his soup again, cheeks flushed.

To play up his mostly-feigned nonchalance, Elias merely scooped a spoonful of soup into his mouth, disregarding Chino's comments as to the possibilities for sleeping arrangements. After swallowing, he glanced back up at Chino and shrugged. "My bed is more comfortable than the floor," he pointed out - having noted the fact that Chino was notably redder than before. He was almost surprised that Chino could -be- embarrassed, although he thought he might have seen Chino blushing at least once before. He didn't want to say "yes, -do- that" ...At least, not straight-out like that. Whether Chino was naive or not, such a course of action was too blunt for Elias. After a pause, "Would you prefer to?"

Chino swallowed a few spoonfuls of the soup then set the spoon down. Shrugging his shoulders, he replied after calming his nerves, "I don't mind. I suppose a bed would be more comfortable. But, I don't mind either way." He paused to eat a few more spoonfuls of the soup, "If it's alright with you," he ate another mouthful, "then I'll sleep in the bed." Chino paused there and watched Elias instead of his soup.

"Then you'll sleep in the bed," Elias echoed in confirmation, patiently avoiding the little voice in the back of his head that was acting quite gleeful and whispering highly embarrassing things. He decided that it would -probably- be best to talk about something else for the time being. After swallowing another spoonful of soup, he asked, "This all right, then? For dinner?"

Chino smiled and nodded, "Mhm. It's not bad." He finished off the rest of his soup in a relatively short amount of time without saying anything else. He just wanted to get clean as soon as possible. However, thinking about bathing reminded him of something. "Oh, Elias? Do ya think I could borrow some nightclothes again?" He grinned wryly and added, "Or would you prefer me to sleep without anything?" Waiting to see Elias' expression, Chino smirked and watched the other man.

Elias, naturally, spit his present mouthful of soup back into his bowl in surprise. Deciding to act as if nothing had happened, he licked his lips and wiped his arm across his mouth, temporarily forgetting that -usually- he was anal about gestures such as that. -Napkins- were for wiping mouths. After regaining most of his composure, Elias looked back up at Chino. "I don't know," he said, sounding absolutely calm despite himself. "Do you think you'd be comfortable in my nightclothes? Do you -want- to go without them?" And, even thought it was an obvious lie, "I don't care. Why don't you decide on your own?"

Chino chuckled and took his bowl and spoon as he stood up; he finished, so now all that was left was to wash the dishes. "Mah. I think…sleeping in clothes would be a little more comfortable." If they weren't quite so restraining he added as he placed his dishes in the sink. Turning around, he leaned against the counter top and waiting for Elias to finish eating.

With no further distractions or interruptions, Elias finished his meal in short order. Following Chino's "lead," he took care of his dishes and shrugged in the young man's direction. "Suit yourself," he conceded. Moving over to the kitchen doorway, "Wanna go pick something out yourself, before that bath I promised you?" He wondered what Chino might make of his limited clothing selection, but figured Chino would have to be at least marginally pleased if he chose his sleeping gear himself. Mmm, bath... Come to think of it, one of those might be nice.

Chino took Elias' dishes and placed them in the sink alongside his own. "I'll take a look in a moment; I'll wash these first." Turning around, turned on the hot water and bent down to retrieve the soap from its hiding place, before adding, "That's your only bathroom, right?" Hoping that he was right 'cause he wasn't a hundred percent positive, "So, why don't you take the first shower?" He grabbed the sponge and squirted some soap onto it, then made quick work of scrubbing the bowls and spoons.

The less infatuated portion of Elias brain pointed out promptly that Elias "why didn't" because he usually -spent- more than just five or ten minutes taking a shower, and surely it couldn't take Chino longer than that to do their dishes. The rest of Elias ignored the sentiment; either Chino could wait, or they'd see what happened. "You're right. You don't exactly see any other bathroom doors, do you? ...So I think I will. Okay." Giving Chino one last surreptitious looking-over, Elias turned and headed for what was his one and only bathroom. A cold shower might be in order, but Elias wasn't often one to do what was good for him; he cranked on the hot water until the stream pouring from the showerhead was steaming, and moved to strip down to skin.

Chino smiled and nodded as Elias walked off to shower; he hasn't noticed the glance Elias gave him before he left. He rinsed the dishes then set them up to dry and put the soap back under the sink. Chino wandered down the hallway towards the bathroom. Elias was still showering, so Chino lingered outside the door then plodded back to the living room. He peered at the muddy shoes and socks that he left at the door on his first day at Elias'. Laughing quietly, he stood back up; Elias' should be done soon. He'd get rid of the items later, when he went out next. Chino walked back to the bathroom and leaned against the wall, waiting for Elias.

Elias was, as Chino doubtlessly realized, still in the shower. Showering. ...Just showering. Well, and trying to listen to the goings-on within the rest of the apartment over the sound of the water drumming against the tub, but that was beside the point. He -was- done "showering," strictly speaking, and he was fairly certain Chino was done cleaning. He shut off the tap after a few minutes more, before yelling through the closed bathroom door. "You -could- be looking for something to wear! I don't mind!" Elias doubted Chino would listen. He toweled himself off and wrapped the bit of linen around his waist, cracking open the bathroom door and leaning out into his bedroom.

Chino blinked, and then slid down the wall after a few minutes. Apparently Elias took longer showers then he realized. When he heard the water turn off, and Elias call out, he laughed and pushed himself back up. He completely forgot about going to find something suitable. Nodding to no one, he walked to Elias' bedroom and pushed the door open. After a few minutes of looking around, he went off in search of something to wear.

By the time Chino was poking around in search of the promised clothes, Elias was leaning against the doorframe leading into the bathroom, a towel around his waist and a smile across his lips. "Find anything yet?" he asked patiently, moving away from the bathroom door and into his bedroom. He himself obviously needed to "find anything," but he could deal with that momentarily.

Chino blinked, turned around, and smiled warmly. "Yeah," he held up a grey-green shirt and something orange with red plaid on them. "Have a nice shower?" He asked, obviously in a good mood, as he walked towards the door to take one himself. He didn't know why he was in such a good mood, but he just was. Maybe, just maybe it might have been seeing Elias in just a towel, but then again, Chino's innocent mind hasn't been corrupted yet.

Elias shrugged; he was picking up on Chino's sudden good mood, but not on whatever the reason behind it was. "Yeah," he agreed a bit absently, not seeing how he could have had a -bad- shower. "Interesting selection." He moved to sit on the bed as Chino headed for the bathroom, his sorry, damp little towel bunching up as he did. The distinct lack of negative reaction to his wandering around in a towel was quite cheering. Perhaps he'd stick with his usual nighttime wear of boxers. ...Just boxers. ...Okay, definitely a bad idea, but appealing all the same.

Chino hummed to himself as he closed the bathroom door, but was careless enough to leave it open a crack. He quickly stripped himself of his clothes and jumped into the shower. Thanks to Elias' previous shower, the water took no time at all to heat up. Within five minutes he had washed his hair and did a thorough scrub-down with soap everywhere, rinsed off, and got out. Toweling himself off, he thought happily, much better. The door had opened another inch or so while he was busy cleansing himself, but he didn't take any notice of it at all. So, he got dressed in his oddly matched shirt and boxers, and plodded off to Elias' bedroom.

From his perch on the bed, Elias idly watched Chino shut himself in the bathroom. He watched the door slip back open. He listened to the water turn on. He pointedly -did not- go over to the bathroom door. Elias was above spying. …Plus he wasn't sure whether or not the shower curtain would be in the way. By the time Chino was coming out of the bathroom - dressed again - Elias had gotten up from the bed, retrieved some boxers (green), and sat back down. He was reaching for the spiral notebook on his end table when Chino reappeared; he hadn't been certain how fast Chino would shower.

Chino smiled and pushed the door shut with his foot. Walking towards the bed, he blinked down at the spiral notebook. "What's that?" He asked, resting his arms on the mattress, leaning forward curiously. Chino shook his head when his wet bangs slipped in front of his eyes and plastered themselves on his skin. Crawling onto the bed, he rests himself on his tummy, and then brushes the strands of hair out of his eyes. The boxers fit relatively well, which he was grateful for, and the shirt was rather tight, but it was sleeveless and showed his stomach sometimes.

"This?" Elias asked, holding up said notebook and glancing up at Chino. The notebook was actually a sort of "research log"; its pages were filled with programming code, passwords, and other people's personal information and credit card numbers. Elias doubted Chino would actually be interested in its contents. He tossed it over in front of Chino on the bed while watching Chino crawl up onto the mattress. He licked his lips - nervous habit - and shrugged. "Take a look, if you like."

Chino nodded his head and pushed/pulled himself up to an awkward sitting position that seemed only possible of junior high girls. Taking the notebook up in both hands, he pages through it for a moment, scanning the contents. "Is a credit card a long strand of characters?" He asked after noticing some of the contents of the book. Smiling, he closed it and set it on the bed within reach of Elias' hand. Sighing contentedly, he rolled onto his back and stretched happily; the bed felt good against his back.

"What do you know about credit cards?" Elias asked calmly, not at all about to explain his more eclectic hobbies. He knew the answer was an evasive one, but he thought he'd probably get away with it, considering Chino's usual naïveté. After scooping the notebook back up and returning it to the night table - Elias had more... interesting... things he could be looking at - Elias returned his attention to Chino. "Comfortable?" he asked after a few moments, tone of voice tinged with amusement.

Chino grinned and shrugged a little, "Iunno. I saw somewhere in there the words "credit card" was written, and there were logs such as "C.C." followed by a strand of characters." He rolled over onto his tummy and looked up at the ceiling. "There were some other figures listed in there as well. I dunno what they mean, but they must have some importance to you," he smiled at Elias. "Comfortable? I suppose!" Chino beamed and snuggled his face into a pillow with another sigh. "It's so soft."

"Yeah, I guess they kind of do," Elias admitted, without elaborating in the slightest. He'd been sitting at the edge of the bed when Chino came back into the room, but while watching Chino snuggling down into his bed, Elias took a moment to roll onto his side and to stretch out his legs. He crossed his arms on the bed and rested his head on them, still watching Chino. "Yeah," he agreed again. "Your skin looks soft, too." ...And -that- was probably not the brightest thing to say. In Elias' defense, it -looked- true. Chino's shirt was riding up again.

Chino grinned and nodded his head, "I guess so." He didn't think it was odd in the slightest! Resting his head on the pillow, he looked at Elias. If he had any common sense at that moment, he probably would have realized that their current situation was rather odd. But, the poor Chino didn't, so he just went on with his carefree attitude. "Wanna touch it?" He blurted out suddenly, grinning broadly.

Of all the things Chino could have said, "want to touch it," was not one that had entered Elias' thoughts. Chino was naive, yes, but... Well, it would probably be foolish to look a gift horse in the mouth, seeing as the honest answer to the question would be "yes." He arched a brow and eased one arm out from under his chin, holding the hand attached out as if beckoning. "How about you come closer," he began, voicing the words in a low, almost amused-sounding murmur, "and then I will?"

Chino laughed and scooted over instead of voicing his answer. The first thing he noticed when he got closer to Elias, was that he was warm; it was nice. Almost purring like a cat, he rests his head on Elias' pillow and stares up at the other man, curious to see what he would do, and rolls onto his side. He was drowsy, so his eyes would flutter now and then, and a tiny yawn would escape from his lips.

Elias grinned slowly in response, looking predatory and almost smug. Moving with the same slowness evidenced in his shifting of expressions, Elias levered himself up on one arm and leaned over Chino, grinning all the while. If he was going to be -doing- something, now, he might as well make it worth his while. He placed one hand on Chino's shoulder, rolling the youth from his side onto his back even while sliding his free hand across the bared expanse of belly, then higher, edging the overly-tight t-shirt up out of the way as his fingers slid over smooth, soft skin.

Chino wriggled as Elias' hand rubbed against his skin. It tickled slightly, but it was pleasant. Unaware of his own reactions, he raised a hand up to entangle itself in Elias' hair in a caress. Smiling faintly, he pulls the man's head closer to his chest. Why the chest? He didn't even know himself; he just did, all the while getting his fingers tangled even deeper into the man's hair.

After noting the hand pushing its way through his hair, Elias smiled - almost gleefully - back and continued to slowly slide his hand upwards. Even with Chino pulling on him insistently, he refused to merely move meekly where directed. "Too many clothes," he pointed out, sounding surprisingly calm and serene considering his internal decision to "do something" and make it "good." "Your shirt's in the way." He slid his hand the rest of the way up over Chino's chest, before tugging pointedly at what was really -his- shirt.

Chino laughed and let his head tilt backwards. "Can't really do anything about it; my hand's stuck," he said simply then started laughing again and asked, "Why do want my shirt off anyways?" He was curious to know why Elias wanted the shirt off; although he'd comply with the request anyways…he was just…curious. Sighing, Chino eased his fingers out of Elias' hair; it barely took any effort he found out almost shamefully. Grinning sheepishly he murmured, "You can take it off…" Although, he was referring to the shirt…

Elias' smile widened to "catlike grin" proportions, finding himself somehow delighted not just with Chino's agreement, but with his strangely adorable innocence. "Why do you want your shirt on?" he countered easily. At the same time, he slid his hand under Chino's shirt around to the youth's back, easing Chino back off the bed so as to properly divest him of his shirt. He didn't really care whether his question was answered or not.

Chino merely smiled and helped by propping himself up on his elbows. "Iunno…you want it off, so I suppose it should," he answered in a soft voice. He was unsure of what he was doing, but from Elias' reactions, he seemed to be doing fine. Chewing on his lip lightly, he sucked on it, pulled it in and chewed, then released it from his teeth to start the process over again. One of his best features was probably his lips; although a man, his lips were full and luscious, just begging to be kissed.

With Chino's help, the shirt in question was shortly relocated to the floor, allowing Elias to idly trail one hand down Chino's bared chest, fingertips skating lightly over his ribcage. He was still half-lying on Chino, even with the youth now propped up on his elbows, and was presented with a lovely view of Chino's lip-biting. Elias managed to watch the process through three times before running the thumb of his free hand across Chino's bottom lip, drawing it back from between his teeth. He licked his own lips, saying plainly, "Y'know, now I want to bite those myself."

Chino merely grinned and leaned close to Elias' face, deciding to let his body speak for itself. Licking his lips, he smiled then pressed them against the other male's for a moment, then breaks the brief contact. Chuckling to himself merrily, he closes his eyes and smiles, not sure of the consequences his actions could lead to in the future.

Elias hadn't been expecting that, not really, but he wasn't about to argue. Wasn't this the direction where he wanted things to head, truth be told? Kicking his inner monologue quite firmly into silence, he chased after Chino's retreating mouth with his own. Chino hadn't given him enough time to respond, and he intended to remedy that fact with a kiss of his own - one less brief, and a bit more forceful.

Surprised, Chino blinked but responded by giving into Elias' forceful actions and let the other ease him fully onto his back. He brought his hands up, hesitated as to what he wanted to do with them, and then wrapped them around Elias' neck and buried his hands into his hair. His fingers wound themselves into tiny knots as his tongue ran against the other's lower lip, wanting to nibble and suck on it.

In the face of Chino's brand of "surrender," Elias began to phase from forceful kissing to gentler kissing. There was no point in being callous solely because he was a bit on the sexually deprived side. The hands in his hair around his neck were welcomed; one of Elias' own hands was still sandwiched between their chests, idly petting. His tongue slipped out to brush Chino's; he wouldn't object to the nibbling, but certainly didn't expect it.

(AN: Yeah, a cliffhanger, but we WERE considering continuing this so wait and see.)