Vertex - Chapter VII, Just the Two of Us

	Chapter VII, Just the Two of Us

Craig got off the bus and rushed across the highway. Where was this place, exactly? Somewhere southwest of town, but was it outside city limits or not? Probably not quite. But close. Anyway, he was in a hurry and he didn't have time for sightseeing. He had to hurry on home before she got there from work. Where was HE coming from, anyway? Irrelevant.
The house was one of those "hidden inside the neighbourhood" type of places, with several twists and turns required to reach the spot in the suburbs where it sat. That made it feel safer, somehow. And that was good, Craig liked that.
Once inside, he kicked off his shoes and rushed into the living room, removing his clothes as he did. It was weird, why did she even keep this drawer here, in the living room? It was a good thing it was here though, the full body mirror on the wall right on top of it. Craig hesitated a little, but swallowed it down and opened the drawer that was second going down. The tastefully brown panties, bras, stockings and garterbelts were there, and as if he had done so before, he began to put them on without any fumbling.
He had barely enough time to steal a glance at himself in the mirror when he heard the car. NO! NOT NOW!
Craig tried to figure out what to do. He didn't have the time to take them off anymore, but he might have enough time to rush into the bathroom, lock the door and take them off once safely hidden there... BUT HIS CLOTHES! They were all over the place!
He tried to grab them, he found his shirt, for some reason he started to put it on, and then... the door opened.

She stepped in, and saw him right away. Of course she did. This was the worst possible scenario. She would get so mad... oh, she was smiling.
Raquel took off her clothes and came to stand behind him. She gently guided Craig's head upwards, and made him look into the mirror. They were wearing matching sets of lingerie now. And she was smiling so warmly... She was a sight to behold in that lingerie, her breasts were on the level of the top of his head, her arms and legs thicker than his, the soft fur on her hands and feet looking wild with the stripes, her tail playfully swinging in the air... and those eyes of hers, mismatched and captivating, long sensual lashes, the hint of a dangerous gleam, her irises covering the whites completely, her hair long and wavy...

She gave his ass a little slap and nodded at the door to the yard. Craig walked outside obediently. There was no risk of being seen here, the hedges were thick and much taller than him, taller than Raquel. And yet, he sensed danger. Safe danger.
Turning around, Craig saw her bending over something. Her ass must've been as hard as solid steel, and yet he wanted to bury his face in it.
She turned around holding a garden hose in one clawed hand, turning the valve open with the other, the gleam in her eyes stronger than before. Craig began to take a few hesitant steps away from her. Once the water was flowing freely, she gave pursuit, fully intending to make him wet. The two then frolicked around the yard, giggling, and both ended up getting hosed.

			             ***

Craig woke up and felt relieved when he discovered that he had not wet himself despite the hosing in the dream.
"I can't jerk off to this..." he mumbled while shifting around to see what time it was. Putting on the light in his alarm clock, he learned it was a little after three in the morning. And yet, he was not tired. At all.
This was one of those weird sleeping rhythm things, wasn't it? No way was he going to fall asleep anymore. His eyes didn't even have that burning feeling he got in the mornings if he woke up too early. Rhythm wise too early, that is.
He might be able to wear himself out, though. Not by jerking off, he didn't feel like it after that... weirdness. Better not to think about it.
Craig crawled out of bed, but only partially. Leaving his feet in the bed, he began to do push-ups.
At 8 he began to feel like he'd had enough. He was still all achy from all the hammering, but that didn't help him get to sleep. Push-ups did not help him. Then he would need to get out of bed altogether. That's right.
He got out of bed and walked to the closet, the only open space he could sit against. He bent his knees, stuck his ass against the door, and slowly eased his back closer to- OH FUCK THAT'S COLD!
The door was wood. It was probably not all that cold. It wasn't cold in the room. But Craig had just got out from under the covers, and the touch was just... unbearable.
What a wimp I am, Craig thought to himself. Maybe this could be done as, like, an exercise for increasing willpower or something.
Deep breath.
FUCK THAT'S COLD!
Craig managed to stick his back against the door though, and after a few seconds the sensation stopped. Huh. That wasn't so bad.
He didn't count out the seconds he managed to hold the position. It felt like forever, but probably wasn't all that long.
I didn't know I was this weak, Craig thought to himself as he struggled to stand up. His body was completely worn out from... almost nothing, actually. And yet he was 100% awake. This wasn't going well for him.
Then he tripped on his schoolbooks. Problem solved! Those would put him to sleep right quick, by golly!
Putting on the light on his desk, Craig was prepared for pain from the bright light. His eyes didn't hurt at all though. He really was as awake as he could be. Was the same thought looping around in his head? Maybe.
And maybe it had been fate that he had left his homework undone last night. This shit was so boring and uninteresting right now, he could hardly... concentrate... on it...

			***

"Top of the morning Craigie!"
"Mrning"
Farai crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the ground.
"Is that any way to greet someone?"
Craig stared at her boots. Again with the nice ones... oh, right. Greet her.
"Mo-hhooh-oorning"
Fucking yawn.
"Ahahaha! That's the spirit! Didn't sleep well again, did you?"
Craig grunted in response.
"You're going to get calluses on your hands if you keep jerking it like that you know"
"I wasn't jerking it. I haven't jerked it at all in days!" he snapped, for whatever reason. Maybe he was possessed by an Imp of the PERVERSE.
"Eww, tee-em-ai, oh-em-gee!"
Wait, what?
"Wait, what?"
Farai was cleared her throat.
"Sorry. Just... trying to do that airhead thing, you know?"
Craig stared at him with a look of stern rebuking on his face. Or he tried to. He couldn't stop the smile. Or the grin that followed. Or the laugh. Neither could Farai.

			***

It was lunch time. Craig was absentmindedly poking at the bland mix of boiled potatoes and brown sauce with scarce bits of meat. Opposite of him, Andrea was eating a much more balanced meal, with half the plate covered in what constituted salad in the school cafeteria, that is, lettuce and slices of cucumber.
Today was an important day, Craig thought to himself. He hadn't really put any thought into it before, but now...
Raquel said she wouldn't be around. But Farai would. So for the couple of hours they'd be working on Raquel's... well, house, it's be... just the two of them. And that was... not all that exceptional, really. It had been just the two of them this morning at the bus stop, and before that, and even longer back when they had been studying together, so...
But that was different from this, wasn't it. Yes indeed. Because Craig knew something he hadn't known back when they had been studying. About the... that she liked S&M stuff. And that she had been THIS close to asking him to do it.
Today he would bring it up. Yes. There was no way he would let her just shrug it off, oh no. It would have been far too awkward to bring it up during the mornings, or when Raquel was there, but today would be the day.
"AAAHHHH~! That's good!"
That was the sound of Andrea finishing his milk. Craig had never been quite sure as to whether he did that thing because he was trying to be funny or if he really liked milk that much. It wasn't even pure Holst.
Huh. He had a milk-moustache. Cute.
"You look like you've got something on your mind, man. Something bothering you?"
How sweet of him.
"How sweet of you"
Andrea downright beamed at the compliment.
"What are friends for, right?"
Now what? Should he ask for Andrea's help? It's not like he was a lady-killer or anything. But he DID read a lot of trashy romance novels and played way more dating sims. There might be something there. But what Craig really needed, no, WHO he really needed, was...
"Hey, hey, hey, whacha doin' nerds?"
HIM.

Lance sat down next to Craig, spilling his three, brim-filled glasses over. He was a crucial part of Craig's social circle, the guy who should have spent his time with the other jocks but who preferred instead the company of his childhood chums.
He'd always been the tall and lanky one in the group, but starting at around the 8th grade, when he'd finally stopped growing in height, he began to bulk up and by now his build was quite athletic. His usually wild hair was now quite ordinary, as he was fresh from the showers.
"Oi, Andy, you've got white stuff on you" he said, gesturing at his own lip.
Andrea blushed at the obvious innuendo, but only after instinctively licking his lip clean. Craig bet he regretted that.
"So what's up?" Lance repeated, gobbling down a mouthful of potatoes. His plate had a mountain of food on it. The guy worked up an appetite.
"Eh" Craig said dismissively. He didn't really feel enthusiastic about asking for Lance's help anymore now that he was there.
"Oh look, my hands are trembling! Hahaha! That's a proper workout for ya!"
Sure enough the glass he was holding up was spilling from all of his trembling.
"Eeeh? You have it so rough! You haven't even gotten to try out for the team yet!" Andrea lamented in sympathy.
"Ah, they're trying to weed out the ones who have no chance at making the team first, make the tryouts more about picking the best of the best, rather than just the best of everyone, yeah? Hoo, whee, now let's just keep this between us yeah? I've got no confidence yet. If I tried out for the team now, I might not make it!"
"EEEH? No way! You've been working your ass off!"
Lance had the good graces of swallowing before he resumed talking.
"Well, you know, it's not so much my physical condition I'm worried about. Hell, you could make the cut too if it was just about being in good shape, Andy my boy"
Andrea giggled at this. It was no secret he kept himself pretty tightly trimmed. Craig was the least fit member of this trio, and the thought annoyed him. Why did he have to be both the least good-looking AND in the worst shape?
Maybe he could do something about the latter. But these two had such a headstart on that...
"Skills though, that's something that'll take re-pe-ti-ti-on, yeah? Eugh, just... eugh. Never enough, yeah?"

Lance stopped his bitching and kept on eating.
"Umm, Craig?" asked Andrea to break the silence.
"Hm?"
"Was there something... bothering you?"
He seemed to be uncomfortable asking.
Oh what the hell.
"You guys know any romantic lines?"
WHY THE HELL DID I SAY IT LIKE THAT?
The two of them stared at him.
They kept staring at him.
Still.
Jiii~
Lance hit him on the back a couple times, making him gasp. The guy was still strong, tired as he was.
He threw his arm around Craig's shoulders and pulled him close.
"Now Craigie my boy... a little bird has told me that you have been seen sharing some laughs and intimate moments with a certain member of the opposite sex... one with pointy ears and a the most delicious Amazon Chocolate skin..."
Little bird? Ah. Tattletail extraordinaire, gossiper of the first degree, a Harpy in the student council. Of course SHE knew. And if she knew, so did everyone else. Not that there was anything to know. Yet.
"R-really? You and Farai?"
Andrea seemed unsure as to how to take this.
"So you tap dat yet?"
"Fuck you"
"Yes or no?"
"No"
"Ahh. So that's how it is then... you need the 'Open Sesame' of a woman's cunt?"
"Lance, I swear to Amaterasu's rose-thorn bondage rope, if you ever use that word in relation to Farai again, I'm going to castrate you with THIS!"
Craig pointed his fork at Lance, who threw his arms up in the air.
"Just a joke man"
"Ill humoured. Never again"
"Agreed"

Craig frowned and returned to his meal. He regretted bringing it up.
"Umm..." Andrea began, then went quiet when Craig looked up.
"What?" he asked, a little more harshly than he had intended. He practically snapped at the poor guy. Andrea didn't deserve that. But apologizing would have been a little...
"It's just that... I wouldn't mind helping you out..."
Oh. Good. Great.
"T-thanks..."
Lance sighed.
"Aww, what the hell, you two couldn't score without my help if you covered yourself in pheromones and ran naked into a ghetto in MGC!"
"Tsk, as if you ever scored..." Craig scoffed, feeling the mood lighten up.
"Well maybe not yet, but once I make the cut, I'll become the star of the Rape Ball team, and the bitches'll just line up for me, yeah?"
"Bwuahaha! Is that why you're doing it Lancey?" Andrea asked, getting a laughing fit.
"Hey, that's just icing on the cake Andy my boy!"
Craig noticed he was the only one who didn't have a nickname in this group. His friends didn't really call him Craigie. And he didn't particularly WANT them to. That was really more something reserved for girls. Like Farai.
"So are you two gonna help me or not?"
"Oh, right. Umm..."
He hadn't planned out anything at all, had he?
"Come on. Just... I don't need poems or speeches to swoon anyone off their feet, I just need pointers. Think, what's the most romantic line you can think of?"
This Craig assumed was Andrea's strong suite. Lance probably could say the kind of thing that'd make a Manticore's tail leak, but romance? No. And Craig didn't want to talk dirty to Farai, oh no. Vulgarity was not his style.

Andrea breathed in deeply, closed his eyes, and then began to speak while gesturing theatrically.
"The Wind blows as it pleases, unbound by the Will of Man. Yes, I am free to blow where ever my mood takes me, and none may hold me. But now... my mood brings me back to you, again and again. Let me be wind in your sails..."
He trailed off with a wavering voice. Craig had no idea what he was quoting, but it sounded more cheesy than anything.
"Lame-o" Lance pointed out.
"HEY! That was a really touching scene! I totally cried! The Sylph came back for him against her every natural instinct! And they sailed into sunset and it was totally romantic and... and... YOU COME UP WITH SOMETHING BETTER!"
Lance shrugged with a smug grin on his face.
"Easy-peasy, and I'll even quote a guy talking to a girl instead of a girl talking to a guy, you nitwit. Ahem"
He was putting on airs much like Andrea had. So he intended to make theatrical gestures as well, then?

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry... All the time"
...
"T-that's it?" Craig was flabbergasted.
"That's... so sweet..." Andrea muttered.
Wait, what?
"Wait, what?"
"What did I tell you, Craig my man? It totally works!"
"No, now wait just a goddamn minute here, that doesn't even... WHAT?"
Andrea had a pouty look again.
"You wouldn't like it if you don't know what it's from..."
"Huh? What use is some movie quote that's context sensitive?"
"Whoa there, them's some big words there Donnie Darko!"
"You're no help"
"Pearls before swine, right Andy?"
"Unf"
Did he just say fucking unf?


			***

After school Craig had gone home, eaten hotpockets and gotten himself ready for work. His shoulder still felt stiff but didn't ache the same way it had in the morning. Maybe he'd have it easier after today. Yeah. Probably. Hathor, Amaterasu, Alpollo, all of you lot, please, oh please don't let me fuck this one up.
He was nervous and excited at the same time. He wanted to hurry up and go to the construction site already and be with Farai. But he couldn't really go there yet. He still had to go to Norwoods to find yet more planks. And those were, as surprising as it was, starting to run out. Most of the stuff left was starting to be downright rotten.
It took Craig almost a full hour to find what he needed. Good thing he had started early.
Three hauls later and he noticed he had forgotten to bring the tools.

When Craig finally got back with the stuff, Farai had shown up.
"Hey"
"Hh"
Well that wasn't awkward and rude at all.
"So..."
"S-so?"
"How do we split the work? Do you do the heavy lifting while I pretend to be an Anubis foreman?"
She flicked her wrist and mimicked a whip sound. Was she... bringing this stuff up on her own?
Farai's smile did not falter. Maybe her mind wasn't as dirty as his.
"I, uhh, I'll make these, uhh, platforms, yeah. I'll finish 'em"
Like a retarded construction worker, good job man. That'll charm her. That'll seduce her like Casanova, Don Juan and Slutty McWhorebags the Third all in one.
"And I'll do what? Cheer you on? Hit you with a stick if you slow down?"
She's really bringing it up, isn't she... nah. No way. That's just another joke. No way is she... yeah.
"Well that cardboard is supposed to be in one, solid piece, right? And she left the duct tape there. You could, like, piece it all together"
That's actually a very reasonable suggestion. Well done!
"Okey-doke"

They set to work then, too far from one another for casual conversation, but still close enough to feel awkward in the silence that ensued.
Craig kept racking his brain for anything he could say, all of which he knocked down as juvenile or crass, or because he didn't feel comfortable initiating a conversation while so far away from her. At times like these, he really wished he could whistle.
Farai began to whistle while she worked. And it wasn't something clichéd like that song from Snow White, oh no, it was, without a doubt, We Are, from One Piece.
Huh. Craig never would have thought...
"Ari keko yume wo, kaki atsume~"
No. She was NOT singing the theme to One Piece. Not in a million years was the cool beauty Dark Elf from school singing the fucking theme to One Piece.
"Craigie, you're not hammering. Don't like my singing?"
Nothatsnotitatallpleasedonttakethisthewrongwayohdeargodpleaseno!
"Ah, uhh, I, uhh..."
"Ahahaha! I know, I know, it's lame. Girl like me, watching cartoons? Ahahaha! We all have our guilty pleasures though, don't we?"
Was that a... hint? She was totally hinting at that stuff, wasn't she? She was showing she wasn't being judgemental, and that they had something in common, and...
Too lame. Get a grip you fucking idiot.
"S-so you like anime?"
"Hmm, wouldn't say that, exactly. I'm not like those girls at the Media Club or anything. But hey, when you like something, you like something. Doesn't matter what it is, right?"
That made sense. It sure did.
"Besides, it's your fault anyway!"
WHAT?
"E-ehh?"
"Mm-hmm, that's right sonny-boy, your fault. It was in the fifth grade... do you remember?"
No.
"I..."
Farai threw her head back theatrically and touched the back of her hand to her forehead as if swooning.
"Oh, what a brute! To have done such a thing to a girl, and then forget..."
Was she doing... this totally was one of those "forgotten childhood marriage promise" bits, wasn't it? Holy hell, her powerlevel was getting higher before his very eyes!
"I, uhh..."
"Hmph. Very well then, I shall tell you. We were in the fifth grade, and I spied with my innocent little eyes you, reading volume 22 of One Piece. It captivated me. The covers were obviously reversed, and there were strange markings, like there was a map hidden into them, and the picture on the cover... and those black and white pages! I saw it all from afar, but the only piece of text I managed to read was the title. Naturally, I went to the store that very day, because I couldn't ask you, since you were with your friends and it was scary to talk to a group of boys like that. And I would have been made fun of. They'd have teased me for weeks about how I had a crush on you, you know?"
Her speech was quite a surprise. Craig had never had any idea about this stuff.
"So I went to the store, and bought it. It was so expensive I couldn't buy candy for three days! And that is just the tip of the iceberg! All the hours you've stolen from me, all that money I've spent, all because of YOU! How will you take responsibility?!"
She was putting on a wonderful performance with that last sentence. Craig was frozen in place.
"I, uhh..."
Again and again he was dumbstruck. Fuck.
Farai sighed heavily.
"You really need to get more sleep at night, you're completely off your game today" she said, as if rebuking him.
"Eh?"
"That's what I'm talking about, it's like your head is completely empty? Did you even pay attention in class today? Or did you nod off? Come on, that's no good!"
She was... worried about him?
"I'm fine..." he muttered.
Farai sighed again.
"You know best, I guess"
The two got back to work after that.

Craig was about finished, and he felt awful. I was like he was a complete asshole to her for no reason. He needed to put in some effort here, this was a golden opportunity to bond with her, if not outright woo her. This could have been a bloody date!
"When you're done with making them, would you like to have the tea?"
Huh?
"Huh?"
"Tea. As in, hot stuff you drink? I've got sandwiches too, but no cakes. We'll make do though,  won't we?"
"Uh-huh"
With this, he found his second wind. The platforms were finished with assorted pieces of wood left over.

Farai had brought a quilt with her again, Craig noticed, and her bag. He hadn't noticed them before, but in retrospect, of course he had brought them.
The two sat on the quilt with only the bag between them, and suddenly Craig felt dirty. Not in the moral sense, just that he had been sweating a lot. He must've been stinky right about now. No way would Farai like that.
She poured the tea and offered him the cup. The sandwiches were free to take, though there were only six, so it was mutually assumed both would eat three.
This was more like it, but... not quite.
Farai was much closer now, and they were practically facing each other. By all means they should have been chatting happily.
But no. They were sitting there, eating, chewing, sipping on their tea, looking away from one another.
Craig stole glances at her out the corner of his eye. She was so damn pretty... wait, was she eyeing  him too?
His eyes were off of her right quick. This was all wrong. Of course she had LOOKED at him, he was being an ass and she was worried about it. Like a friend would be. Right.
"Hey Craig..."
Uh-oh.
"Y-yeah?"
"Do you... think we're actually helping her?"
That wasn't what he had expected.
"Raquel? Sure, I mean, this is, like, going to be place for her to, to, like, live in, and, and keep her stuff in, right? A home. I mean, that's, like, good, right?"
Oh fuck you man, that sucked donkey balls.
"I guess so, but... look at this picture. Cardboard and newspapers? Even if this stuff could keep out the cold, how would she keep it warm? Even if she makes all the walls and seams airtight, what about the entrance? There has to be some kind of ventilation or she'll suffocate. I just can't wrap my head around this!"
That's what she was worried about? Valid points, though.
"I have stove... I mean, the kind you use in tents to heat them up? My dad kinda stole it from the army... it's one of his big accomplishments in life, smuggling that thing out of there. He used to tell that story a lot... especially when he told me I had to serve one day..."
"I want to serve too"
WHAT?
"WHAT?"
"What-what?"
"You're a girl"
"So? You saying no girls allowed in the secret club?"
"Wha- no that's not what I, I mean, it's just that, well, you don't HAVE to do it, like I do, so why would you?"
"I want to challenge myself. That's simple enough, right?"
"Uhh, I guess so?"
"So we don't have a problem here?"
"N-no..."
"Good! So! How about finishing up with what we set out to do?"
"You're not... bothered anymore?"
"Of course I am. But a stove sounds mighty helpful. Unless your daddy thinks it's a relic not to be parted with?"
"Nah. He outgrew that phase"
"Ahahaha! That's good to hear! Alrighty thenny, let's set to it!"

The two of them put the platforms into the ground together. With that done, Craig saw the cardboard floors Farai had prepared in their full glory. She had made them just the right size, which was rather meticulous. The trashbags-turned-tarp had been made by Raquel herself, and it was a little bigger than the area it was to cover, so all of it's sides came up over the edges of the pit. This was probably on purpose, Craig thought. The tarp beneath the platforms did likewise.
After the first set "floor" was set, they looked to the newspapers.
"How thick do you think it should be?" Farai asked, expecting Craig to be the expert in these matters. To tell the truth, he had no idea how much would be a good insulation.
"Let's just open them all at the middle and spread a layer to cover the cardboard up completely, and go from there"
They did so. Plenty of newspapers remained after that.
"Alright, next I think we should take some and wrinkle 'em up, like this..."
Craig took a couple of pages and crushed them in his hands.
"How come?" Farai asked, tilting her head adorably.
"Well, you know. To leave air there"
"Air?"
"To insulate"
"Aah~"
They did this until there was another, crumpled up layer on top of the first one. There remained plenty of newspapers still.
"Won't these be squeezed really tightly after we pile stuff on them?" she asked. As silly as the word "stuff" was, her concern was valid.
"Yeah, well, there'll still be some air there. Enough, at any rate"
Craig didn't actually have any idea whether or not that was the case, he just felt like it.
They placed one last layer of the newspapers, this one all neat and even. Above this they places the final layer of cardboard.
"Heh! Walking on this doesn't feel too bad, actually! It's all soft, but still firm! I mean, with my shoes on..." Farai seemed happy with their work.
Her shoes. Hot, as always. Damn. Craig just wanted to get down on all fours and lick them. They probably wouldn't taste very good, though. But that wasn't the bloody point...
"Something just occurred to me!"
"Huh?"
"Well, look here!"
Farai showed him the edge of the two garbage-bag tarps.
"What about it?"
"Well, LOOK!"
She shoved the gap between them. Of course it was open.
"If it rains or if snow piles up, the water will get in and ruin the stuff under it!"
Yes. The wood would be compromised, defeating the purpose of the tarps.
"So what should we do?"
"What would Jesus do?"
"Duct tape?"
"Duct tape!"
So Farai took the roll of duct tape and set about to closing the gap. The miracle worker did what it was meant to do, but Craig was a little worried at how much was used. They might have to buy more before the house was finished. Not might, they WOULD have to buy more of it.
Craig spread the carpet over the newly made floor. It was certainly big, covering the majority of the surface area of the floor. Nice. It wasn't very thick, no, but on top of what was there already, it might do nicely.
The two carried the couch on top of it, and saw that the couch took up quite a bit of space. Would all of Raquel's stuff really fit in there?
They put all the excess materials around the couch or on top of it, put the real tarp over it and used the length of rope Craig recognized as having been lost after a school P.E. class before Raquel had salvaged it, to tie the tarp in place so it wouldn't fly off. The stuff that would be ruined by water was now fully protected.
"Well! I guess we're done for today, eh?" Farai said, all smiles. It hadn't taken all that long, Craig noticed as he glanced at his watch. Hell, it had been barely and hour if you didn't count the break!
"I guess so..."
"Disappointed?"
What?
"Huh?"
"You know. That our little date wasn't any longer"