Sol almost jumped when he felt Kai's warm breath against the back of his head. The room felt smaller, and the tension rose. Sol took a step forward and turned around, a little surprised. He looked down, then back up at Kai, and then to the side. "The, uhm, this one."
He pointed with the flashlight toward the nearest one, not really knowing which one he even picked out. He walked toward it and reached for the handle first, hesitating before pulling it open.
It was completely empty, which made Sol let out a sigh in relief. He closed it quietly and turned to Kai. Kai barely reacted, and this made Sol feel awkward. He decided to move to the next closet, but the same thing happened. The only thing inside was the faint smell of dust.
Kai didn't bother to help. He watched Sol with that half-smile that never seemed to leave his face. By the third closet, Sol's nerves were fading. He opened the closet and again, it was the same result. He slammed it shut harder than he meant to. The sound echoed, sharp in the silence. Kai raises his eyebrows slightly.
Sol surprised himself with that slam as well. "You're jumpy," Kai commented. Sol exhaled, "This place makes me jumpy." Kai moved closer to Sol, again, closing the distance between them.
However, not close enough to touch, but close enough that Sol felt the air shift. "Starting to lose hope?" Sol froze at the sound of Kai's voice so close to him. "Well, wouldn't you be?" Kai smiled. "You got me there." Kai's voice dropped, almost casual as he took a step back. "Don't give up yet. Open the next one."
Sol turned around and scoffed lightly. "You're clearly amused by my failure." Kai shrugged, leaning against the frame of another closet. "Guilty." Sol's hand lingered on the next handle.
He hesitated, then pulled it open. Empty again. Sol let the door swing back, his jaw tightening. "Figures," he muttered. Kai noticed Sol's jaw tighten and him getting slightly irritated. He smiled to himself and laughed softly, almost under his breath, "You keep expecting something to jump out at you. Maybe that's the problem." Sol sighed. "I just hope we find something soon." The silence stretched out.
Sol found himself staring at Kai longer than he meant to, the dim light catching the sharp line of his grin. He turned away quickly, opening another door just to break the moment. His cheeks warmed as he took a deep breath. He tried to go through the rest of the closets as quickly as possible. The last closet shut with a light thud. Sol let his hand fall away from the handle, his shoulders tight with his breath uneven. Every closet had been the same, empty and almost mocking. He stood there for a moment, lost in thought. Meanwhile, Kai shifted. The sound was small, but in the silence it carried. Sol turned toward him with his flashlight beaming slightly toward Kai's direction. Kai was watching, still leaning against the wall.
"You're disappointed," Kai said softly. Sol sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought... I don't know. I thought there would be something." Kai nodded, his grin seemed faint for now. "There was. Just not in the closets."
Sol frowned, unsure what he meant, but the words lingered. He shifted his weight, suddenly aware of how close they were, how the room seemed smaller now that the task was finished. Kai decided to step forward, slowly and deliberately. Sol felt his pulse jump and quicken.
He didn't move, though every instinct told him to. "You rush through things when you're nervous," Kai murmured, his voice typically low and amused. "You're observant," Sol noted and looked away, smiling awkwardly. His cheeks warmed again, and he looked down, then back up again, meeting Kai's eyes for a second too long. Kai's smile softened, just barely.
He leaned a little closer and stopped just a few breaths away, close enough that Sol could most definitely feel the shift in the room between them. The flashlight trembled in his hand, and the beam slid across the floor. The tension between them thickened, heavy enough that Sol could feel his own pulse in both of his ears. Kai barely moved or even blinked.
He just held Sol there in that awkward moment. Suddenly, they were interrupted by a scream. It tore through the silence, sharp and squeaky.
Sol jerked back, the flashlight beam snapping toward the door. He felt his stomach drop. Was it Mary? Ivy? The scream had been so high-pitched and genuinely terrified, it could only have been one of them. He headed to the doorway, Kai close behind. However, when both of them reached the intersection, another sound cut through.
"Help!" It was Richard. Sol froze, the realization hitting hard. He turned to Kai, who had stopped a pace behind him, expression almost unreadable. "Richard," Sol whispered, almost disbelieving. Kai tilted his head, the faint curve of a smile returning. "Guess it wasn't the girls after all." Richard reached the two of them and rested his hand on the wall, slightly crouching over. "Richard, what did you s-?"
Before Sol could finish his question, Richard stumbled toward him. "Fuck off," He pushed past Sol. Sol glanced at Kai, and Kai just shrugged. "Hey, dude, what made you scream like a girl?" Kai held back a chuckle. Richard stopped walking and turned around angrily. "While you've been getting cozy together, I've been actually trying to find a fucking way out."
Kai furrowed his eyebrows but kept his grin. "Did you find anything?" Sol asked. "There were voices... I think there are people here. And something touched my leg. That's why I... bravely searched for you guys, to warn you."
Sol blinked at Richard's words. Voices? People? Something touching his leg? All this made his skin crawl. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out at first. Kai, however, didn't miss a beat.
His eyes sharpened. "Touched your leg, huh? That's all?" Richard scowled, his breathing uneven. "Laugh all you want. I know what I felt, and it wasn't just something you can brush off." Sol stepped forward, trying to steady the moment. "Richard... if there are voices, there's something here, then we shouldn't split up anymore. We need to go back." His tone was firm, but his chest was tight.
Kai gave a small shrug. "He's right. No point wandering blind. Especially if there's some unknown... thing with us." Richard muttered under his breath, but he didn't argue. Sol felt the weight of Kai's gaze on him again, but this time it wasn't playful, it was calculating, thoughtful. "W, We should go," Sol said quietly. Richard grunted and started to walk back to the floor along with the others.