Archive of Our Own ^beta

     Very rarely did Ruka sneak out; running away itself had caused Hell and a half for him, so, why would he risk something as minor as sneaking out for the night?

     He only snuck out when he was desperate. He would send a text to Pom, asking if he could visit--she always answered, no matter the hour, and soon, he would either climb in through her window, or she would meet him outside of her front door, ready to let him in and pull him either to her family’s kitchen or her room.

     And tonight, he was desperate.

     He climbed out of his window and down to the flat ground as carefully and quietly as he could. Every creak or thump would inch his anxiety and fear up, but he never heard commotion from inside the house, nor did he see any lights turn on.

     He sent a text, the same as always, asking if he could visit. It was read almost immediately--despite it being three in the morning.

     And then, within minutes, as always, she replied. “Sure!! I’ll be outside💜 Want me to have any coffee or hot cocoa ready?”

     “Hot cocoa sounds good, thanks. See you soon, Stealthy Walrus💛”

     If anyone should be called “stealthy”, it was probably actually him. Pom was often loud; she was closed off to a lot of people nowadays--especially after what happened with Jay--but she often drew attention.

     As she said, she sat on the small, front step to her house, two mugs in hand; it wasn’t exactly chilly, but it wasn’t too hot for a warm drink.

     “Hey…” She placed the mugs at her side and stood quickly--her arms were quick to wrap around his midsection and pull him into a tight, warm hug. “Are you okay? I was worried when you texted.”

     Ruka’s eyes brimmed with tears as he relaxed into the hug, his own arms winding around Pom in an equally tight hug. “I’m fine.” He whispered, his face finding refuge in her shoulder. “You always worry when I text, can’t I just visit for fun?”

     He half-laughed. He often did text her or visit to share good news, to tell her that he cared, or to just spend time with her, but. She was comfort to him, she was home, she was everything that he wanted in a companion, what he dreamed that genuine relationships were supposed to be like.

     “You always can, duh,” Pom reached a hand up, narrowly having enough reach to fluff out the back of his hair. “But… Usually people don’t ask to visit at three in the morning for fun.”

     Ruka only nodded a bit in response. Fair enough.

     “Come on? We can go in, and we can watch a movie and snuggle or something until you’re ready to go? I know you’ve got work in the morning, but…”

     “Yeah--alright, yeah.” Ruka slowly, reluctantly let go of her and pulled away from the hug. He reached down and got his own mug while she carefully opened the door and stepped inside.

     He couldn’t help but smile a bit at her back, her still-messy bedhead leading the way up to her room. I don’t want to burden you with anything, but… You keep me safe.