"So you're telling that THE Nomi Conikus, the most famous jock in this school, let YOU sleep on HIS lap the whole time as a thank you for buying those books you got from the nearest bookstore which was 10 kilometers from here?" Howard said, replaying what Randy said just then. Randy walks around in his room, back and forth nodding at Howard's statement. He and Nomi were supposed to be studying, not him falling asleep!

"I-I didn't know what happened! He woke me up saying I fell asleep after I got the books for him. I had no idea!" Randy panicked and lay in his bed, hugging his pillow and he rolled left and right.

"Relax, Cunningham. He's always been a kind-hearted guy it's normal at this point. Who knows maybe you're not the only one." Howard said and continued his work on his computer. Randy thought about it, Howard is right. There's really nothing to be panicking about. Maybe he's not the only one.

"I guess you're right, Howard. Thanks." He said, looking out his window. It's gonna rain soon.

"Anytime, bro. Oh yeah, the Norrisville vs Flakeville Soccer tournament has started, they're recording this life. Guess who's the star attraction?" Howard said, pointing at the screen. Randy comes over and looked at Nomi kicking the ball with full speed and always winning in every kick. He's so talented.

"He really does like sports," Randy said, slowly beginning to fall for Nomi even deeper. His love for physical activity makes Nomi look more attractive somehow. Randy has his way of liking someone through their heart, but Nomi here is all the way.

"Hey, Howard? Do you think Nomi is expressing more of his feelings through soccer instead of anything else? It seems like physical activity makes him look... Happy." Randy said, looking at Nomi's expression. Howard just shrugged it off and type in his work.

"I'm not sure, I'm not that good at reading emotions, Cunningham. You're always the sensitive one so it's a bit easier to identify. But Nomi is always a quiet and poker face guy, so it'd be hard." He said and looked at Randy. Randy sighed and continued looking at the video. Nomi being the expert in sports automatically won.

"He's so cool..." Randy thought. Howard sighed and got off the chair, place the video game console, and threw the controller at Randy.

"Win or lose, sloth." He said with a smirk. Randy chuckles. A sloth ey? Let's just see. Randy sat down and played the game with Howard, winning almost every single time. Hah!

"I won again! You owe me $10 bucks, buddy." Randy exclaimed. Howard groaned and gave him $10 to the champion. Soon enough they heard thunder and the rain pours down on the Earth. Randy looks through his window and saw a familiar redhead standing in the rain, wet and looking like they were in deep thoughts. Randy squinted his eyes and widens.

"It's Nomi! He could get sick we have to help him!" Randy exclaimed and rushed out of the house, leaving Howard looking at him with confusion.

"Wait that was Conikus?" He asked himself and continued his work. Classic.

Nomi stood in the pouring rain, thinking about his past. What matters, no one will care about his condition. Let him being burned under the rain, away from people, alone-

"Nomi, what the juice are you doing?"

The voice snapped Nomi into reality as he looked at Randy, holding a pretty big umbrella. He was shaking in the cold but has a warm jacket to keep him cozy. Nomi looks at Randy in surprise.

"Randy, what are you doing here?" Nomi asked, trying not to move more. Randy huffed and place the umbrella over Nomi, preventing him from getting wet. Randy immediately took Nomi towards his home, Nomi thought Randy's strength is pretty good.

"I saw you under the pouring rain. You'll get burned by the rain, won't you?! I'm not letting you get hurt." Randy said and took Nomi's wet clothes to the laundry room. He then gave the redhead some fresh warm clothes, a bit bigger for Randy to wear.

"This was my dad's. You can have this if you want." It was a simple grey tee, but Nomi felt like there was a lot of history in it. He puts it on and purrs silently. It felt nice.

"Thank you, Randy. Sorry for disturbing you." He said formally, looking around the house. A lot bigger than he thought.

"No problem, anything you want to eat?" Randy asked, going to the kitchen. Nomi was about to answer when all of a sudden Howard ran downstairs and glared at Nomi a bit.

"Conikus, as much as I want to insult you I'm afraid we can't. Heidi called and she's in a pickle." He said, still glaring. Nomi nods.

"Very well, insults on school days then." They both looked away and did their own thing. Randy sighed, those two aren't gonna getting along for now. He took some salmon and sliced it neatly. Nomi was impressed by Randy's culinary skills.

"Is sushi good with you? I'm making sashimi." Randy said, plating it. Nomi shrugged.

"I'm good with it." He said. Sushi is part of him anyway. Randy then took some cups and tea, making some green tea for both of them to drink.

"Here you go, sashimi and green tea," Randy said, serving it nicely. Nomi looked at the food and felt at home. Reminded him of home.

"Thank you, Randy." He said and ate it. Fresh and clean, and the tea is fantastic. Nomi finished it with manners and looked at the kitchen. His curiosity got to him.

"Is sushi the only thing you know how to make?" Nomi asked. Randy giggles and shook his head.

"No, I know many types and different recipes. From scrambled eggs to parfaits." He said, continue eating and did the dishes. Nomi felt like he was a pest for bothering Randy's life.

"So, what do you want to do?" Nomi asked as he follows him to the bedroom. Speaks Randy immediately. Ninja posters all around the room, ninja-themed stuff, and Japanese models. Japanese geek too? Impressive.

"Oh, sorry about my room. Let's do our homework first, then we can play video games." Randy said and took his worksheet. Nomi shrugged and did the sheet as well, finishing it a bit early.

"Woah, you're fast! That's amazing." Randy smiled and did his work until he finished. Nomi was reading some inspirational quotes Randy has in his room.

No matter how hard life is, keep moving forward until the very end.

Think smart for every move, but don't let it controls you.

Love all living, even if they're not there.

Think of life as a test. You'll be tested by challenges.

"Oh, those quotes were from my parents when I was a kid. Growing up they always tell me these and it became my one-way ticket to inspiration town." Randy smiled and looked through his gaming collections.

From his parents? Nomi look at the quotes and wondered. Why would his parents tell him that as a child? Then again he went through the same thing so, he won't bother asking.

"Hey, Nomi! What do you think about a horror survival game?" Randy asked, opening up his gaming pc and booting it up. Nomi walks up to him and looked at the title of the game.

"Five Nights at Whoopee? What is this, doesn't sound so scary." Nomi said and sat next to Randy. Randy chuckles and explained the game to Nomi briefly before playing the first night. Shouldn't be that bad, right?

They were wrong.

"Aaahhhhh!!!" Randy screamed as he got jump-scared. Nomi was frozen in place. Poker face but almost got a heart attack.

"Woah, impressive gaming mechanics." He said. Randy nods and looked at the time before his face frowned.

"It's 12:30 am, we should probably go to bed. You can stay here if you want." Randy said as he got ready for bed. Nomi nod and pretended to text someone on his phone.

"Thanks, Randy. I appreciate it." Nomi said and laid next to Randy who was hugging a pillow. He yawned before snuggling in.

"Goodnight, Nomi." He slowly fell asleep peacefully. Nomi smiled and pets Randy's head gently.

"Goodnight, Randy. Sweet dreams."