Movie Night (Infinitesimal Part 1)

"Hey, mom?" Yuki asked, peeking around the corner into the kitchen. It was there that their mother was working, making dinner for Yuki's father who was currently passed out on the couch. Yuki's mother did not look up from the stove that she was working above, but her leftmost ear swiveled in the direction of her child. That was as much of a cue to continue talking that Yuki was going to get. 

"Um, I was wondering if I could go to a movie with Alini and Sly," they mumbled, only raising their voice enough so that they would be heard, but not so loud that they would wake their father. "Alini's parents will be taking us there, so you don't need to worry about driving me anywhere. It's, uh, it's a rather late showing."

"What movie," Yuki's mother said, more of a statement than a question. Her voice betrayed no emotions other than boredom and mild annoyance. 

"The... the newest Pixie movie. I don't know what it's called. Alini wanted to see it."

"Are you gonna be stayin' over at her house tonight, or no," Yuki's mother grunted. "You know I don't like you coming home late. You always slam the door too loudly."

Yuki's mother turned her head to give her child a stern glare, and Yuki quickly put their paws up.

"Um, yeah yeah, I'm staying the night. You don't need to worry about me waking you up, or anything like that."

Yuki held their mother's gaze, fighting to keep from wringing their paws lest she realize they were lying. After a few tense moments, Yuki's mother nodded, turning back to her cooking. 

"Very well, you can go," she relinquished with the slightest nod of her head. "Just don't make yourself sick off theater food."

"Okay, I won't, thanks mom, I appreciate it!"

Given the permission they needed, Yuki rushed off to get ready for the night. They wouldn't need much other than a change of clothes, and maybe their Gameboy. They wouldn't be staying the night at Alini's not exactly. Instead, Yuki, Alini, and Sly would be doing something else, something they'd agreed upon after making the plans for the movie that Monday.

Running down the hall to their room, Yuki practically skipped through the open door. Pushing aside some of the various clutter they were procrastinating on picking up, Yuki grabbed their backpack and dumped out everything currently inside it. Books, papers, and various writing utensils were scattered on the carpet, Yuki shaking the backpack multiple times after that for good measure. When it was completely empty, they stuffed it with a change of clothes and their most prized possession, the Gameboy they'd received for Christmas two years ago. It was a hand-me-down, old and completely outdated in the face of modern gaming technology, but it still worked like a charm and Yuki couldn't have been happier when they'd pulled it out of the newspaper-wrapped box.

Even two years later, Yuki still regarded the appliance as the best gift their family had ever gotten them.

Yuki made sure that the Gameboy was covered on all sides by clothes, so it wouldn't be damaged in the case of any unexpected rough handling. They briefly considered bringing along their favorite stuffed animal, but quickly dismissed the notion. They wouldn't want their friends to think that they were a baby who needed a stuffed animal to get them through the night.

With all their things packed up in no time at all, Yuki zipped up their backpack and slung it over their shoulder, gripping one strap with both paws. It had been agreed upon earlier that Alini and their uncle would be picking them at a location other than Yuki's house. Yuki stopped at their front door, one paw moving to turn the handle. They considered calling out a goodbye to their mother, but decided against it. She probably wouldn't answer back, and they didn't want to wake up their dad. That was a surefire way to get them grounded. Instantly. 

Yuki opened the front door, ears folding back as the hinges squealed. They quickly ducked out the door, making sure not to shut the door too harshly. 

The pink and white creature hopped down the front steps, landing into a jog as they started down the sidewalk. They kept their head on a swivel and their eyes scanning the area around them. Just because they'd made it out of school unscathed didn't mean that Lowry couldn't still catch them. Lowry and his pals also walked home, meaning that they lived close enough to the school for distance to not be an issue, and thus they lived closer to Yuki than the pink and white creature would have liked. Sly had kept true to his word and stayed out of trouble so that Yuki and Alini didn't need to make a mad break for the forest every time school let out, but for the time being, Yuki was alone. Lowry still had a bone to pick with them after Yuki's little stunt on Monday, so if the spotted canine manage to catch Yuki on their unawares, it would be all over for them.

They quickened their pace, their bag bouncing up and down as they ran. The meeting place they had decided on was Sly's house, which was a bit further than the school. While Yuki lived next to the school, neighborhood separated by the woods, Sly lived behind the school with nothing inhibiting his daily journey to get to the building. Though they had considered using the school as their meeting place, they had eventually decided against it. Not only was it was too out in the open, but they also thought in might look suspicious. They didn't need Alini's uncle asking why he had to pick them up there instead of their house.

Yuki made it to the woods, and quickly traversed through it. They didn't stray off the main path that cut through the trees, even if they did know shortcuts that would help them get to the other side faster. They didn't want to get their clothes dirty before the movie, knowing that it wouldn't look good for them.

Soon, Yuki was standing in front of the school, that old building they hated so much. They didn't try to stop the frown that pulled down the edges of the lips. It was a good thing the friends all lived close together, or else that hellish place would have been the only location they could have consistently seen their friends. Readjusting their bag on their shoulder, as it had slipped off from all the jostling, Yuki briskly walked along the side of the school. They didn't need to spare it another glance, not on their off-time. They'd have to deal with it again when Monday rolled around, but for now they might as well just try to forget that it existed. 

The trees in Sly's neighborhood were a lot taller then the ones in Yuki's neighborhood, a testament to how much longer the houses had been around. They stood tall and proud, casting the houses below them in shadow. Someone unfamiliar with the land might have found it spooky, but not Yuki. Walking the path they'd walked many times before, sometimes even running to get to safety, they quickly made their way to Sly's house. 

Sly was waiting on his front porch, sitting on the top step. His face was held up by one paw, the other resting on his knee as he drummed his fingers. When he noticed Yuki, he stood up and waved, face stretched out in a goofy smile that caused his tongue to loll out. 

"Hey Yuki," Sly greeted, stepping off the porch to stand in front of Yuki. "You excited for tonight?"

Yuki nodded eagerly. "Hell yeah! The new All Hallow's Eve movie looks like it's gonna be awesome-- I checked out the trailer, and it seems so bloody!"

Sly laughed, scratching the back of his head. "You can say that again. Looks like the kind of movie that would give my dad nightmares."

Yuki glanced at the house, unable to see anything through the tinted windows. "What did you tell him?"

Sly shrugged. "Oh, only that I was going out and that I'd be back tomorrow in time for breakfast. You know how it is."

Yuki nodded, taking their seat on the front porch and setting their bag gently down by their feet. Next to them was Sly's duffle bag, which Sly moved to rest on his lap as he sat next to Yuki. 

"I told my mom that we were seeing the new Pixie movie," Yuki commented. "You know, in case someone asks and you need to corroborate our story."

"Wow, are you serious?" Sly laughed. "A Pixie movie? Isn't that for like, babies n' shit? No way I'm saying I watched that-- might be a good excuse for you two, since you're like, six years old, but I'm way too old for that kind of nonsense."

"Says the guy who only hangs out with said six year old because he has no other friends," Yuki retorted with a grin.

"Wow dude, harsh!" Sly laughed, pretending to be offended. "You didn't need to go that low."

"You said it, not me!" Yuki laughed in a sing-song voice.

Sly lightly punched Yuki's arm, and the pink and white creature punched him in return. They avoided roughhousing, given that they were currently sitting on concrete, but continued to joke and banter while they waited for Alini and her uncle.

It wasn't too long after that a car pulled up and slowed to a stop in front of the house, the passenger-side window rolling down to reveal Alini.

"Hey guys, come on in!" Alini called out, leaning the top half of his body out the window in a way that was definitely precarious. 

"Hey Alini!" Yuki and Sly said in unison, each picking up their bags and walking up to the car. Sly chose the seat behind Alini, while Yuki walked around the back of the car to sit on the driver's side, behind Alini's uncle. They each took their respective seats, Sly setting his duffle bag down on the floor of the car while Yuki placed his backpack in the middle seat, even going as far as to buckle it in. Alini turned around in the front seat to look back at his friends, practically straining out of the seat belt. It was obvious she was excited, her tail wagging and her ear bobbing its head up and down. 

"I'm so excited we all get to see All Hallow's Eve together!" she gushed. "We're gonna swing by the gas station before the movie starts. It's a long one, so take as much as you want!"

The driver looked over at Alini, and Yuki could see a green snout poke out from in front of the headrest. "Sit back down in your seat now, kiddo," a lighthearted yet somewhat scratchy voice said. "I don't want us to get pulled over before we even leave the neighborhood! And oh yeah, I don't want you to get hurt either."

Alini laughed, settling back down in her seat. Yuki leaned over to get a better look at the driver, paws resting on their backpack as if at any moment, they might duck to hide behind it. The driver was catlike, with big ears and two fangs that poked out from the top of their snout. They had long, gangly limbs, so much so that their knees nearly knocked against the steering wheel. His long, bushy tail was curled around himself to avoid taking up space, but most notably, Yuki noticed that he had two wings, one bird wing and one bat wing. They didn't stem from his back, rather they took the place of his arms. Yuki tipped his head in confusion, and the driver noticed Yuki staring in the rearview mirror. He gave them a smile.

"So, you two must be Yuki and Sly!" he chirped, his tail giving a single thump. "I've heard quite a lot about you guys. Alini's been talking my ear off about seeing this movie all week, so I hope you kids have a whole lotta fun!"

"Yeah, yeah," Yuki mumbled, nodding their head slightly. "How are you driving, exactly? You don't have any hands."

(WiP)