Hisoka’s eyes drifted to the floor in a combination of guilt and awkwardness. ‘Hearing something like that makes my own problems seems so insignificant… To see someone you care about taken away like that… Perhaps that’s the feeling of wrongness I’ve been getting from him. It still doesn’t add up, but tat would be why it seems wrong that he is being so nice. After seeing something like that I think most hearts would blacken…’ He thought frowning slightly. He looked up at the painting again tilting his head. ‘And I’m also not sure how I feel about something like that. A part of me is happy to see such beautiful and loved art work. The other half of me wants to leave and never look back. I shouldn’t be seeing these…’ He thought, shifting his gaze back to Drake as he apologized. His gaze landed back on the high ceiling. ‘What does one say in a situation as this? Is there anything I could even say?’ He thought and sighed lightly. ‘I don’t have the right to comfort him. I never knew Jason, though through the portraits I feel I did. So all I can do is talk about the
paintings themselves.’ He thought with a nod.

“It’s okay…” he muttered. ‘I guess. Though this still seems odd.’ He thought glancing back at the portraits. “It’s you story, so you don’t have to apologize to me.” ‘I don’t deserve it really. I’m not involved in any of this…’ He thought. “And besides it was a treat.” He said with a slight smile. “These are obviously something you care about. So I’m honored to have seen them. And besides the story and feeling coming form the painting… they are beautiful.” He said smiling at them, tilting his head once more. “And tat was why I came here, to see art. This…” he said holding his hand out. “Is true art. The fact that it’s a piece of reality only makes it better.” He said. ‘Also the fact that Jason will forever exist this way. It’s actually very romantic.’ He thought. He glanced back over at him. “And I would be rather scared if I didn’t have a ‘sob’ fest after seeing them. I like to think I’m not a heartless person.” He muttered. ‘Though I realize I have been slowly closeing myself off…’ he thought shaking his head. “I can’t say I know how you fel, I’ve never had anything like that happen to me.” He said placing his hands in his pocket. “Perhaps we should both head home.” He said.

He wasn’t sure what to make of the other. He didn’t really strike Hisoka as a kind person. And yet that was what he had been since he had run into him. It was almost suspicious. ‘Perhaps a few masks…’ He thought frowning lightly. ‘It’s really not any of my business.’ He thought shakeing the from his mind. Hisoka locked the door and turned to follow Drake. He paused for a moment seeing the snow fall. He smiled slightly. ‘Looks like I got the answer to that…’ He thought watching the white float down from the sky. He blinked looking up at the sky. It was always a dizzying experience to watch snow fall from the sky. A fast expanse of black with white coming down from it. It almost made him want to spin around like a little kid again. He tilted his head after shaking it and looked back down to the ground. He wondered if they would stick and gather to be a blanket by morning. He blinked looking back up when Drake spoke and smiled slightly. “So it is…” He muttered, watching the snow fall from him. He tilted his head and shrugged. ‘Maybe being a friend won’t be so bad...And that doesn’t mean I have to fall form him. Being a friend would be able to remind myself not to…’ He thought with a small nod as they started walking toward the gallery.

As the walked he couldn’t help but think over what he had said earlier. ‘That would be a good idea… However it’s nothing more then a useless dream now. I don’t think that could ever possibly happen. One I would have to date them or be really close friends with them… And I don’t think I could trust someone that much to take care of my bakery, well our bakery. But it gave me hopeful relief for a moment…’ He thought shaking his head. It wouldn’t do to keep dwelling on that. It would have been good if he had family or something to help him out. And all of his old friends had their own lives and careers now. So he really didn’t have any one to count on. ‘Just myself. But then again you can only really trust yourself correct?’ He thought with a blank expression. ‘I don’t want to become so cold. But I’ve felt so detached lately…’ He thought with a small frown. ‘With the vow I made, I need to be detached but it still doesn’t feel right…’ He thought shaking his head slightly. He came from his thoughts when they arrived and was thankful that he had something to concentrate on now then his mind. He blinked when Drake held the door open and slipped in so he could relock them. He blinked in confusion tilting his head but nodded walking off. He couldn’t help but wonder at what that treat could be.

He felt relaxed and almost at peace as he walked through the gallery. He hadn’t been able to actually enjoy himself for a while, now. His last few boyfriends hadn’t liked art. He smiled slightly as he looked around. Everything was so interesting. It held a story. Of either the artist or the art itself. He hummed lightly as he walked along the pieces, and almost felt depressed when he came to the end. He looked around as Drake led him to the back and stopped at a black curtain. Hisoka couldn’t help but stand there in shock. Most of the pictures where of the same male, but they like the others told their own story. As he walked around looking at them he could feel tears gather in his eyes. ‘Love, pain, sorrow, vengeance…’ he thought in slight shock. ‘So much emotion…’ He thought. “Who…” he wondered. He almost jumped in shock when Drake spoke again. His eyes widened in shook, and he sniffled once blinking the tears away and turning to look at Drake. He opened his mouth a few times but no words could come out. Instead he just turned back starring at the male in the painting. He blinked a few times and looked at him sadness tilting his head. “I take it he was taken form you?” He asked lowly.

Hisoka couldn’t help but jump slightly, at the breath that went over his shoulder and the voice suddenly so close to him. ‘When did he get so close?’ He thought blinking in shook and shaking his head. He turned slightly smiling brightly. “Yea… I actually want to become a pastry chief…” He said turning back to the information. He smiled softly as he flipped through a few of the pages. He wanted to make people happy. Perhaps it was because it was so hard for himself to be happy. But no matter how bad he ever felt he hated seeing others sad even more. He was self-sacrificial in a way… “Pies. Cakes. Treats. Desserts. Wedding Cakes. Cookies. And everything else. I suppose you can say a dream of mine is to own my own shop. I’m even taking classes in business for it. However, I also want to be a doctor… A Pediatrician. So I’m just taking them all together. I won’t do any hands on training until I chose which one I want to become my career.” He wanted to be able to help those in pain too. Mainly children. So he wanted to be a pediatrician. Odd because he himself didn’t think he could handle having any children of his own. Even through adoption. He knew he would only adopt if the kid really needed it. But he just couldn’t seem himself with one of his own. He was always trying to avoid reality by hiding in his books. There was no way he could do that with a child. So he had resigned himself to being alone.

He blinked shaking himself from his thoughts and glancing back down at the recipes and facts. A few more caught his eye and he bent the tops of the pages, and almost started humming. He caught himself and merely cleared his throat, all the while moving slightly away from Drake. ‘I don’t like people being behind me…’ He thought with a slight twitch. ‘Makes me feel paranoid…’ He thought. That was a problem he had with his other boyfriends. He never likes any of them standing behind him. She hugs from behind or anything else caused him to be twitchy and fidget. That or get away as soon as possible. ‘They would eventually get annoyed and find someone else.’ She thought with a mental sigh, finishing the notes he had for his food class. He paused for a moment and glanced up at the clock. ‘Defiantly a sweater, and maybe a thicker jacket…’ He thought. He glanced over his books and was happy to realize he had finished everything else before he went out. ‘that means we can leave soon.’ He thought smiling slightly. He finished summarizing everything and closed the book placing it and the notebook inside his case. He sighed and stood stretching. His back was uncomfortable from sitting like that the whole time. He turned to Drake and smiled slightly. ‘Let me get some warmer clothes and we can go.” He said with a nod, walking toward the room and shutting the door behind him.

He went through his dresser and found a green sweater. Pulling it over his school’s dress shirt he sighed in the warmth that was already surrounding him. He pulled on a pair of socks, and changed his pants to a pair of cargos instead jeans. They were defiantly warmer. He glanced around looking for anything else and shrugged walking back through the living room. He picked up all the junk food from the table and walked through placing on the kitchen table. He placed the pocky in the cabinet and the candy on the counter. He paused to glance in the refrigerator and decided that he would stop at the store on the way home. He returned to the living room and placed everything inside his case and clasped it shut, placing the extra books he had just gotten in the book shelf near the window. He paused to pick his keys up and placed them in his pants pocket. “K’. Lets go.” He said, walking over. He pulled on his boots instead of his tennis shoes, and pulled on a thick jacket.

[[It’s okay. I understand.]]

Hisoka blinked down at the money in his hand and looked back at Drake with a slight frown. He didn’t feel right about letting him pay. ‘Makes it feel too much like a date.’ He thought with a sigh, placing the money back in his pocket. Though it did make sense. Drake had brought him here because he had bumped into him. So it really was his treat to pay. That didn’t mean that Hisoka felt better about the whole thing. Hisoka blushed slightly as he watched Drake handle the waitress. He actually felt bad for her and almost giggled. She seemed so out of it, and he had a feeling she would be in a daze for the rest of the day. Not very good for someone that has to serve hot beverages. He waved cheerfully to the girl as Drake led him out, trying to ignore the hand on his arm. Besides the fact that she almost acted like a fan girl she had been okay. At least she hadn’t spilled anything on them or squealed in their ears. He turned to Drake and opened his mouth to complain about him paying. He closed his mouth a second later and sighed. ‘Just as I thought.’ He thought and shook his head. ‘Well there is nothing to be done.’ He thought nodding. He blinked watching Drake for a moment before turning and starting the walk home.

As he walked along the streets he couldn’t help but to think of how weird this day had been. He ran into his ex. His bag’s handles snapped. He bumped into Drake. Drake took him for coffee. Drake paid the bill. And now he was taking Drake back to his apartment. Somewhere I his mind a chibi him was waving a red flag of warning. ‘Really, just what am I doing? Drake’s a stranger. And getting to see the Gallery after hours or not, this is not something I should be doing. And especially not after swearing off relationships of any kind. How much of a fool am I?’ he thought holding in a sigh. His eyes moved along the sidewalk and traveled to the sky. ‘Maybe I should just calm down. It’s not like I’m suddenly going to become his lover or something. Being friends is even iffy. It’s most likely a one time thing, so I should just calm down…and make sure I don’t go near alcohol.’ He thought.

He blinked when he realized they had reached his apartment. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, and pulled his keys form his pocket. Unlocking the door he opened it and stepped inside. He sighed when the warm air hit him. He hadn’t realized how cold he had become on the walk here. He was defiantly pulling on a sweater before they went out again. “Come in and make yourself at home.” He muttered pulling his shoes off and sitting them before the landing. Stepping up he wondered into the living room dumping his stuff on the low rise table. He wondered over to his brief case in the corner and rested it on the table as well. His apartment was rather plain. The walls were a dark slate grey, and everything else seemed to be in grays, forest green and dark colors. He started going through all the books inside of the case, searching for his work.

He jumped slightly at how excited Drake seemed. He listened to what he was saying with a small amount of dread. ‘Now doesn’t this seem familiar?’ he questioned himself, and was shocked at the sarcasm. He blinked chuckling nervously and scratching the side of his face. “I guess. And it would be best if I finished before I went out anyway…” He muttered. ‘What are you thinking? Rule one don’t invite anyone to your apartment. But it’s not like he’s going to kill me or anything, but still…’ Hisoka almost felt like screaming or crying. His hands picked up his coffee again and he looked at the creamy surface. ‘Am I really this weak? Can’t I say no, or anything? Or maybe I just can’t be alone. It is true that this past week has been the worst. My grades are up more then usual…But everything has felt so hallow. Maybe a friend at the least will fix it a bit. At the very least I’ll be able to see the gallery without a bunch of people getting in my way.’ He thought smiling slightly at his coffee, before taking the last drink.

He blinked looking up when Drake spoke again and smiled softly. “No its okay. Besides if we did things that way I would forget or fall asleep.” He admitted sheepishly. He had a bad habit of being distracted by things. Like his laptop, and work, and cooking, and TV. Agreeing to meet up later was defiantly not a good idea. That was one of the reasons an ex broke up with him. ‘Too absent minded indeed.’ He snorted into his coffee cup as he starred at the wall blankly. ‘And don’t forget being a prude and not putting out… Why do they always have to be so crude? If they want sex so bad becoming man whores should work for them.’ He thought glaring at the wall, before blinking and snapping out of it. He smiled rightly finishing his muffin. “We should get going then. I should be able to finish my class work up in time before it’s too late.” He muttered biting his thumb nail as he thought. He nodded and stood, before reaching into his pocket to pay for his order. Pulling out the money he placed it on the table and grabbed his bag.