Toxicity || Chapter Four: Cherry Coke

The Fallen are unaccustomed to the natural kindness found in humanity. It is because of their overbearing anger and disdain for their situation that they oft ignore the small things done for them when they join the ranks of mortals.

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Riddia frowned quietly at the girl as she examined his hand. Why was she being so nice? What was her motive? Could she tell he wasn't human? Internally, he was at war. There was no reason she should be this nice to him, she didn't even know him. With a frustrated huff, he flipped his longish hair from his face, watching her with a faint scowl.

Ali smiled up at him, cocking her head faintly to the left. "Don't worry, I have some peroxide. It'll clean those up really quickly," she assured, moving to the bathroom to find the cleaning agent. She hummed softly to herself, trying to disregard her strange feeling about Riddia. 'Did he really fall from the sky? How? What would that make him? Maybe he was skydiving and it went awry?' she wondered as she walked back to her bedroom. "Here, open your hand."

He did as instructed, palm open and slightly cupped. "What's that stuff do, anyway?" he asked, eying the brown bottle skeptically.

"What do you mean? Haven't you ever had to clean a cut or scrape before?" she chuckled, shaking her head. "It bubbles up and kills the bacteria that gets into cuts and stuff. She grinned up at him, opening the bottle and pouring a slight amount of the clear liquid into his hand. He grunted, knitting his brows together with a deeper scowl.

"That stings."

"Sorry!"

He shook his head, watching the little crescents grow white bubbles. They began to itch, irritating him more. "What do I do about the itching?" His eyes were wide, confused. The newness of his situation would take a lot of getting used to.

"Follow me, we'll rinse it off," Ali declared firmly, marching back to the bathroom. He followed, eager to get the stuff from his hand. She turned the handles on the faucet, moving his hand under the water stream. He sighed in relief when the stuff was gone.

"So, now what?" he asked, drying his hand on his dirty jeans. Looking him over, she realized he was completely filthy. Looking down at herself, she noted all the pieces of leaves and greenery stuck to her pants. Her clothes were matted to her skin, soaked entirely through.

"You're dirty. You should take a shower. I think my cousin Kyle left some of his stuff here the last time he stayed, and you look about his size, so I can get together some of his clothes for you. Give me a second and I'll leave you to it," Ali chattered while taking off to the spare room Kyle occasionally occupied. Just as she had suspected, he had left half of his clothes in the dresser. She rooted through his things, pulling out a grey, long sleeve AC/DC shirt, a pair of clean blue jeans and a pair of checkered boxers. With clothes in hand, she returned to the bathroom, where Riddia stood, looking down at the little marks on his hand. 'He is so different, I can't place him,' she thought with a sigh. "Here are some clothes, there are towels on the rack. I'll, uh, be down stairs when you're all done."

He looked up, nodding once as she left. 'Strange girl,' he thought, looking over the shower. "Now, how does this thing work..."

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Ali returned to her bedroom, intent on changing into something dry. She peeled the heavy, wet clothes off, donning a simple white tank top and a clean pair of blue jeans. Looking around her room, then out the window at the dreary day, she decided it would be best to just curl up with a snack and a movie.

Humming, she bounced down the stairs to the kitchen. 'Dad must be asleep, he's never this quiet,' she thought with a quiet chuckle. Trying her best to not wake him, she rummaged through the cupboards for something good. "What better for a movie than popcorn?"

Satisfied with her findings, she threw the bag in the microwave and went to the fridge for some soda. "Hm, Cherry Coke or Mountain Dew? Cherry Coke, always Cherry Coke." When the microwave beeped, she snatched up her snack, along with two cold sodas, and skipped back up the stairs to her room. She riffled through her movies, deciding on one of her favorites: (500) Days of Summer. She turned on the DVD player, popping in the disk and curling up on her bed. As the previews played, Riddia came in, shaking his shower wet hair.

"What are you doing now?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"Watching a movie, join me?" she smiled, scooting over a little more, giving him space to make himself comfortable. He reclined, turning his gaze to the screen. "Cherry Coke? It's my favorite."

He took the offered drink, watching her open hers and doing the same. He cautiously took a sip, eyes widening in surprise. 'It's good... Maybe this banishment wont be so bad?'