#I’m sorry I dunno why I’m drawin him so much-

[an-albino-pinetree]

A part of me kinda wants to just-

[jewwyfeesh]

To The Gentle You 3

Writer: Mitsuki

Character(s): Kagehira Mika, Hakaze Kaoru, Aoba Tsumugi

Translated by: stcrfeesh

CN Proof by: jewwyfeesh

Tsumugi: Ahaha ♪ Well, it’s not like I could have heard something that you’ve never really said, no~?

Please read the translator notes at the end!

Season: Summer

Location: Seishou Hall Common Room

Mika: (Ugh… the hell was I even on about, tellin’ Tsumu-chan-senpai I’d make a design so perfect it’d impress Naru-chan…)

(I kept thinkin’ ‘bout what Naru-chan might like while designin’ and ended up drawin’ a whole buncha drafts. Now I dunno which one ‘ta choose.)

(Back when I took on a jewellery designin’ gig, I got Naru-chan ‘ta model fer me and successfully designed a necklace that everyone liked.)

(Or maybe it's ‘cause this time ‘round, t’was only outta my personal desire ‘ta gift Naru-chan a brooch that's uniquely fer her and her alone, an’ not for anyone else. So now……)

???: Kagehira-kun, are you currently struggling with something very important?

Mika: Nnah~ bingo…

???: If that's the case, do you need this kind and considerate nii-san to give you some advice~?

Mika: That’ll do me a world of good— hold up, who the hell are ya?!

Kaoru: Ah, sorry, my bad. Did I interrupt your musings?

Mika: Eh?! Ha-Hakaze-senpai?! How long have ‘ya been standin’ there?! Have I been unconsciously sayin’ my thoughts out loud?

Kaoru: Ahaha, it’s nothing like that~ It’s just because your thoughts are clearly written on your face. I’m free right now, so you can talk to me if you have any worries.

Mika: Sorry ya had ta see me so unkempt… I actually wanted ta make a unique brooch as a gift, but I just ended up gettin’ stuck with the design.

When it comes ta usin’ cute elements as the design’s main theme, I just kept thinkin’ how all of them suit each other — I couldn’t pick. So now I’m here, mullin’ over the design drafts.

Kaoru: Huh… if you don’t mind, could you show me those design drafts?

(Hm… looking at it, it seems that most of these brooches have flowers, bows, hearts, and the like as the design’s core, which is rather cute. It’s definitely something a girl would like—)

(Wait, didn’t Kagehira-kun say he wanted to hand make a brooch as a gift? Is he going to give it to a girl?)

(For him to go to such lengths, then it must certainly be for someone who’s important to him, right…?)

Mika: …Hakaze-senpai? I see yer lookin’ like ya’ve got some stuff ya wanna ask me?

Kaoru: Ah, well, you see… What I'm trying to say is that, if you’re aiming for a design that’s more intimate, why not try getting inspiration from the mundanes of their everyday life?

For starters, you can go with how they dress — whether their usual style is more suitable for simpler or fancier jewellery, and identify colour palettes that would act as a complement to them. Just things like that.

Oh, yeah! How about using your outfits during your date as a starting point? It’ll be something rather memorable ♪

Mika: Woah… as expected of senpai who’s a part of the “Date Plan” project [1], ya really know a lot ‘bout these type of things.

Hmm~ If I were ta look at it from an everyday-life perspective, then I do wanna make this brooch suitable for goin’ out on dates too. I’ll trash these, then.

But it’s so hard to choose the best one among the bunch, and I keep thinkin’ how it could be way better… Could I ask for yer help with this again?

Kaoru: Ahaha, no worries~ I’ve got you covered ♪

(…I was just testing the waters by mentioning the word “date” earlier, and he didn’t even try denying it? Could it really be that he actually came looking for me to ask about relationship advice?!)

(Now that I think about it, other than Anzu-chan, who else would he be close with that isn’t also a guy…?)

(………)

(N-N-Nah, it can’t be. It’s probably just a misunderstanding cause I care too much about Anzu-chan… it’s nothing, let’s calm down. My priority now is to help Kagehira-kun with his troubles.)

Location: Seishou Hall Library

(And so I ended up accompanying Kagehira-kun to look for info at the library. I’m a member of “Biblion” [2], so the library here at Seisou Hall isn’t really new to me.)

I remember seeing it here… Woah?!

Aoba-kun, what are you doing just standing behind the shelf and not saying a word? You scared me…

Tsumugi: Oh, it’s Kaoru-kun and Mika-kun~ Apologies, I’ve been so into arranging these books over here that I hadn’t noticed someone entering. 

Oh, I see. So you guys are looking for reference materials on jewellery making. You should find them on those shelves in the back row.

Kaoru: Uhh… about jewellery… not this one… not this either…

Aha~ found it! “Classic Jewellery Illustration and Design” and “A Selection of a Hundred Brooches”. Both books don't seem too shabby  ♪

Mika: You have a good eye for things, Hakaze-senpai~ I only found one, “A Manual on Jewellery Making”.

Tsumugi: Ah, Kaoru-kun just reminded me. There are a few brooch designs in that “Classic Jewellery Illustration and Design” book that are quite similar to Mika’s ideas for his design drafts. He could check those out…

Kaoru: Eh? You’ve already seen Kagehira-kun’s design drafts?

Mika: Uh-huh~senpai even gave me some real helpful advice. Both of ya are such reliable senpais ♪

Tsumugi: Ahaha, you flatter me too much, Mika-kun~ I’m also an amateur when it comes to designing jewellery, so I decided to skim through some of the books while I was rearranging the bookshelves today.

I was planning on recommending these books that would be useful to you, Mika-kun. Let’s take a look at them now, shall we ♪

Take the design on this page for example. A technique that can be used to convey the delicacy and elegance of flowers could be adding ribbons to a fretwork.

Or perhaps these types of simple yet stylish designs over here aren’t too bad either. I think it would go well with everyday wear.

Mika: Hmm…

Kaoru: …How about we approach it like this — Kagehira-kun, what do you think about going over the person’s likes and dislikes with us? This way, if it’s someone we know, it’ll be easier for us to help you narrow down those ideas.

Tsumugi: (Huh? Does Kaoru-kun not know for whom Mika is making the brooch?)

(He’s been uneasy since earlier, could it be that he’s misunderstood something…?)

Mika: Nnah… when it comes to the things Naru-chan likes, it should be anythin’ that’s beautiful ‘n cute—things that’re called “Pretty”, y’know?

Kaoru: I see I see, so it’s someone named Naru-chan and not Anzu-chan. That sounds like a really cute name too~

Mika: — Naru-chan’s style seems to be more handsome rather than cute when she’s doin’ idol jobs with Knights, but no matter how ya look at it, she’s still very charmin’ either way~ ♪

Kaoru: (Eh…? This “Naru-chan” is a member of Knights…? So are you telling me that I… I’ve been under the wrong impression about this whole situation the entire time?!)

Mika: Hmm? Were ya sayin’ somethin’, Hakaze-senpai? Sorry, I was talkin’ to myself earlier, so I missed what’cha said~

Kaoru: I-I didn’t, though? Haha, I didn’t say anything earlier, I prommy! Cross my heart and hope to die!

Tsumugi: Ahaha ♪ Well, it’s not like I could have heard something that you’ve never really said, no~?

(But there’s something about this recklessness that makes you feel like you’re reliving a spring from once upon a time… ♪)

Translator's notes:

[1]: Mika is referring to Kaoru’s shuffle unit project, √AtoZ. 

[2]: Biblion is an existing ES archive circle composed of the following members: Hajime, Kaoru, Nagisa, Tsukasa, and Tsumugi. The members gather out of their love for books of all genres.

← Chapter 2 | ES x LC Masterlist | Chapter 4 →

[manekicatwriter]

hellooo! i was wondering if i could make a request for an modern au sbi x gn sibling reader where they’re around 17-19, and they’ve got depression. they’ve had to go away for a few weeks after a bad episode ended in an attempt and they were hospitalized and sent somewhere for rehabilitation and now they’re coming home and they’re all anxious and quiet and stuff- so the boys do their best to like comfort them and reassure them that they’re loved and they belong there? i’m sorry if that’s an awkward request, i was just recently discharged after a similar situation and honestly the comfort would be great. it’s totally your call if you chose to write it tho, i understand that this is a difficult and triggering subject and not everyone is comfortable with writing things like it. if you aren’t comfy please feel free to just ignore my ask! <3

you’re here, and that’s what matters.

TW: mentions of attempted suicide. please proceed with caution.

hey! i just wanted to let you know that i’ve been through a similar situation and understand how you feel (though my case was not as severe). i wish you a safe road to recovery.

note, i think you asked for their characters but it leant itself towards their rl versions. i have a feeling the dsmp versions would be too chaotic for this sensitive subject.

REQUESTS ARE OPEN!! please do not be afraid to send in an ask. ANON IS ON!!

Phil:

- phil was very scared about you being so gravely hurt, it kept him up for some nights. thankfully, you pulled through.

- he visited whenever he could. if he couldn’t, he was busy making sure coming home felt as comfortable for you as possible while also educating himself on how to take care of you.

- phil would listen to how you felt, and be understanding of your feelings.

- “You don’t have to tell me why you did it, I’m just glad you’re here,” pulling you in for a warm hug.

- when you got back home, he made sure he and the boys had prepared your favorite dinner and desserts.

It was the day you had just got home from rehabilitation, and you two were sitting on the couch. You hadn’t said much, you felt like you had nothing to say. Phil had asked for you to sit down so you two could talk, one on one.

You couldn’t meet his gaze. “I’m sorry,” your voice started to crack. “For making you guys worry about me.” Tears started to form from your eyes and you wept into your hands.

Phil immediately reached over to you to hug you, letting you cry on his shoulder. “We don’t blame you. We don’t blame anybody. I just want you to be here safe with us. Let it all out.” He pat and rubbed your back soothingly as you kept crying. But it was a good cry. He was just glad you came home.

Tommy:

- even though many see tommy as a loud and obnoxious boy with a general disregard for others, we all know deep down that’s a persona. he will go out of his way to make other comfortable in his presence if he truly cares for them. which he does, for you of course.

- he wants to make you happy! when the time is right, he’ll crack jokes and offer to play minecraft with you.

- would tone down the yelling. not because you asked, but he’s afraid of triggering you. treats you like glass. if you notice he’s being quieter than usual and you don’t care, you tell him you don’t.

- if you’re feeling it, he’ll take you out to fun places and to eat. nothing that’s too outlandish like a theme park, but just enough to have a reason to get out of bed that day instead of sleeping in.

It had been a week since you had gotten home and Phil had instructed you to maintain somewhat of a schedule to upkeep yourself. Right now was your nightly routine, washing yourself, brushing your teeth, and finally sliding under the covers. It felt nice. The blanket of sleep consumes you easily…

…

Until you bedroom door opens you’re being aggressively shaken awake. You groan, shying away, but they’re persistent.

“Ey, wake up, it’s morning!” Tommy shakes you again.

You realize you didn’t dream, but think nothing of it. “Tommy please, what do you want.”

Finally, Tommy pulled your warm sheets from over you, making you flinch. “I wanted to go out to the park today! Feed the ducks! Yeesss!”

You sighed. If you didn’t comply now, Tommy will refuse to stop nagging you for the rest of the day. You rolled out of bed and into the bathroom. You could very clearly hear Tommy’s cheers.

You two had gotten ready, eaten breakfast, and said goodbye to the rest of your family so you could head over to the park. It was close enough that it wasn’t unbearable to walk to. Even if you weren’t completely yourself yet, you were glad Tommy was.

After the short walk you two finally reached the park. Tommy immediately bolted toward the pond and you jogged behind. He had already started throwing the ducks some seeds, and even threw it on a duck. It didn’t seem too pleased.

You two sat at the edge of the pond as you watched the ducks eat. “Hey.” You hear Tommy call to you, and you turn your head to him.

“Can we talk about what happened? With you? Is it okay?” You could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

“Go ahead, what is it?”

“When Techno found out what happened to you, and told us the news, I was scared shitless.” He let out a sad huff. “I thought we were going to lose you.” Tommy kept his eyes fixed at the pond in front of him. “I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t have brought this up. I’m just glad you’re okay.” He sighed.

You put a hand on his shoulder. “Oh Tommy…” You started, “I’m sorry for making you worry. You shouldn’t have to feel like that because of my actions.”

Tommy was lost in thought for a moment, before finally speaking up, “No, please don’t apologize. It’s not anybody’s fault this happened, right?” You nodded.

Tommy stood up, dusting his pants off from the grass. “Come on now, let’s go get some ice cream!” He pulled you up from the ground.

“Last one to get to the shop has to pay!”

Immediately, Tommy bolts in the direction to the ice cream shop, and you catch up to him. No matter the circumstance is, he never seems to fail at putting a smile on your face.

Wilbur:

- i HC wilbur being the oldest, being older than techno by 3 years and older than tommy by 8, like IRL. :]

- i think out of all of your siblings, wilbur exudes the most “protective older brother” energy, yeah?

- remember when tommy lied about his mother being in trouble and how worried and anxious wilbur got? turn that up to 11 with what happened with you.

- with wilbur being the oldest, he of course had the responsibility of taking care of everyone. but somehow you and him didn’t spend as much 1 on 1 time as much as wilbur did with his other siblings

- wilbur definitely was going to change that, realizing that and not wanting to make that mistake again.

- he decided that finding a new hobby with you wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

You were sitting at the dinner table, being the last one there. You were poking at your food for the most part, and Wilbur got home late from… whatever Wilbur thing he was doing. Phil cooked pasta for dinner tonight. Wilbur put down his bags at the door connected to the garage. “I’m home! What’s for dinner?”

“Pasta.”

“Mmm, I love some good ol’ pasta.” He said, already taking a plate out to serve himself. “Also, hey, I bought something I wanted to build with you. Do you mind?”

You finally looked up from your very interesting pasta. “Build..?” You had no idea where this was going.

Wilbur placed his plate on the table and approached the bags of groceries, going through them to find the bag he was looking for. He pulled out a LEGO set. More specifically, a LEGO City set from the looks of the box? “Wilbur, how much was that?”

He blinked at you innocently. “It was only, like, £25. And look! It’s got a little submarine we can make with a rock and ugly sea monster—“

“But why?”

“Why not? It wouldn’t hurt for you to do something new, yeah?” He smiled at you, shaking the LEGO box in front of him to show it off. You sighed, but smiled. “Alright. But maybe you and I should eat this pasta first before we start building.” Wilbur nodded.

“Speaking of water, don’t you think I could teach you how to swim or something?”

“Oh, fuck off with that!”

Technoblade:

- i think out of everyone in the family, he understands you the most in terms of how you feel.

- not suicidal, but just generally having depressive episodes due to his ADHD.

- techno’s generally closed off, but started to really open up to you because he wanted to show he cares, even if it meant going out of his comfort zone.

- techno suggested journaling. once a day or once per week, it didn’t really matter. just as long as you could write down your feelings somewhere.

- he didn’t explicitly say it, but he also bought a book for himself so he could do it along with you. although, he more often than not just forgets to write in it until you mention your own journal.

- if you want to be sad and quiet, you can be sad and quiet with him. his room is a safe space for you if you ever need it and you’re always welcome to come in, just as long as you knock first.

With one hand on your mouse scrolling through the internet, and another resting your head on it, you were safe to admit you were utterly and completely bored. Honestly, you thought about taking another nap after your last one, but a knock on your door stopped you right before you pulled the covers over yourself. “Can I come in?”

You rose from your bed. “Come in. Oh hey Techno.”

He gave a simple wave and his signature “Halloo.” He walked right over to you and handed a journal and a ballpoint pen. “I got this. For you.” His stare was sharp but you could sort of tell he was nervous.

“What for?”

“I dunno. Writin’ your feelings down or drawin’ or somethin’. Whatever helps you vent.” He scratched the back of his neck.

“Oh Techno, thank you. That’s very sweet of you.” You gave a slight smile, but saw that he still had another journal in his hand. “You have two journals?”

Techno raised his eyebrow in confusion before looking down at his hand. “Oh this? It’s for me. So we could do it together, I guess.”

You let out a happy hum. “That’s nice. Say, why don’t we go to your room? I want to see your new lava lamp and stuff.”

Techno shrugged. “Sure. I’ve got more stationary too if you want.” He waved his hand before letting himself out the door, with you following not far behind.

hi hope u enjoyed reading as much as i did writing it. this format was new for me but very fun!

[selfindulgent-undertalerps]

Debug x Fell Part 1

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Next

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Debug went into Underfell, he looks around with curiosity.

Behind him, Debug hears "heh, you don't look like you're from around here."

Debug looks behind him to see the person talking, "Maybe and what about it?"

There's no one there. Fell appeared right in front of him while he was looking around. "dunno, what about it." He's leaning close wearing a sharp grin.

Debug took a few steps back, He's ready to protect himself.

"hah! you shoulda seen ya face." Fell chuckles "really though, what are ya doin here? lookin a little soft for this area."

He looks Debug up and down "tryna get another crack in ya skull?"

"just looking around" Debug' voice is glitching, he's looking at Fell.

"s'not the kinda place to be 'just lookin around' buddy." Fell does air quotes. "so ya got a actual reason, or are ya really that much of a numbskull?"

"No, I don't have an actual reason . . ." Debug' voice glitched a bit more, He's avoiding eye contact.

"well you're gonna get killed wanderin around lookin like free exp..." Fell sighs pinching the bridge of his nasal cavity. this guy looks too innocent for his own good " ok... ok, what was it ya wanted to see then? i'll accompany ya with your explorin and when you're good'n satisfied ya can get the fuck out, capiche?"

"I can go now if you don't want me here" Debug doesn't like when people treat him like a defenseless child, he's looking at Fell, Debug has 5 LV.

Fell shuffles his feet awkwardly "nah now i didn't say that." He chuckled

"personally don't mind visitors, just also don't mind visitors not dustin gettin their asses jumped. it happens 'round here, ya know?"

"I know" Debug slightly scratched himself near the crack in his skull.

Fell rubs the back of his head sheepishly "look i feel like we got off on the wrong foot... hows about a do-over?" He holds out his hand to shake.

"the names sans, sans the skeleton. though you probably know a couplea those huh?" He chuckles "most visitors call me red or fell... or that asshole. heh. take your pick."

Debug shook his hand a bit hesitantly "Ralz or to be specific Debug, nice to meet you Fell" He smiled a bit.

Fell grinned "nice to meetcha debug."

Fell looks around. "it still isn't the best idea to be standing around out in the open though. ya hungry by chance debug?"

"Hm . . . A bit . . ."

"i know a safe place ya can kick ya shoes off with good food that'll warm ya soul." Fell winks. "can head there if ya like?"

"Sure" said Debug with a small smile.

"k. let's take a shortcut though." Fell holds out his hand for Debug to take.

He took Fell' hand. The two blip into an an alleyway and Fell stuffs his hands in his pockets.

"k, just follow me and don't talk to no one. s'not like you're the first visitor here but i don't want no trouble." He jerks his head in the direction he wants Debug to follow and leads them out of the alleyway and to the front of Underfell's version of Grillby's, opening the door and stepping inside.

Debug walked behind him, he looked around.

There were only a couple monsters inside. just Lesser Dog and Greater Dog practicing poker at their usual spot and a rabbit monster passed out in a booth.

Fell seemed to relax a little and turned to Debug. "you want a table, booth or bar seat?"

"Booth"

"booth it is" Fell slips into a booth and nudges the standing menu towards Debug. "figure out what ya want before burning man gets over here."

Debug is looking at the menu.

Fell leans on the table and puts his head in his hand, his phalanges clack on the table loudly as he idly taps patterns. It doesn't take long for Grillby to come to their table with a notepad and pen in hand.

"heya hot head, i'll just be ordering my usual and whatever this guy wants." Fell gestures to Debug.

Debug placed his order, nothing special.

"so what's your story?" Fell stops tapping on the table and looks at Debug.

"Hm?"

"who are ya? where'd ya come from? i dunno, life goals? everybody always has somethin' goin' on."

"Hm . . . I come from an art based AU, to be specific from a timeline where the Underground collapsed, I was the only one to survive . . ." Debug' voice gradually became more sad.

Fell looks sympathetic "ouch." He hissed, wincing "that uhh.. that really sucks... sorry for askin'."

Fell gives Debug an appraising look "that uh, makes sense why you're just wanderin' au's."

"Yeah" Debug is looking at him.

"well welcome to underfell." Fell chuckles. "dunno why a cute little guy like you would wanna come here, place is a shithole."

Fell suddenly gets hit in the back of the head with a small poof of flame.

"oof! fuck! i wasn't talkin' 'bout you! ya oversized fuckin' pocket light." Fell mumbles the last half while rubbing the back of his head.

A small blush appeared on his cheekbones, Debug giggled when Fell got hit "Are you okay?"

Fell's face lights up "yeah, yeah, i'm fine."

Debug is smiling slightly.

Fell's tapping on the table again. "so an art au huh? what was that like? everyone go 'round drawin on shit all the time? if- oh eyy thanks."

Grillby served the two's orders up, Fell's usual was apparently a burg and three mustard bottles.

Grillby put a milkshake in front of Debug, signed "on the house" and gave Fell a warning glare before walking off.

"what!?" Fell called after him. He shook his head and turned back to Debug "what were we talking about?"

"My AU" Debug took a sip from the milkshake "It was nice, almost everyone was doing some kind of art, be it music, paintings, animation"

"that sounds it'd be fun." Fell says while dumping an entire bottle of mustard onto his burg, it's disgustingly messy. "was everyone good at everything or didja all have.." Fell paused trying to think of a word "specialties?"

"Specialities, I'm for example good at digital art, sewing and knitting, also cooking"

"so ya all did all the arts huh?" Fell takes a bite of his burg chewing and swallowing quickly. "that's sew cool."

Debug snickered at the pun.

"did ya knit that scarf yourself then?"

"Yeah"

"looks soft, can i feel it?" Fell's got a sly smirk on his face.

"Sure" Debug's looking at him.

Fell makes sure his hand's clear of mustard and reaches out to touch it.

"yep that's just as i suspected. s'made of top quality boyfriend material." Fell winks at Debug.

Debug' cheekbones are covered with a blush, his freckles barely visible because of it, he sips on his milkshake, he doesn't know what to say

Fell snickers "sorry don't mean to needle ya."

Debug giggled.

Fell takes a bite of his burg and squirts mustard directly into his mouth moaning in delight.

"gotta admit the hot head's a asshole sometimes but he sure knows how ta make fuckin mustard and burgs."

Debug is watching him, taking sips from his milkshake and eating his own food.

Fell all but inhaled the rest of his meal. sagging in his seat with satisfaction.

Debug soon finished his food too.

Fell glanced at the bar and back to Debug and leaned in close saying in a lowered voice

"hey ya ever dine and dashed before?" Fell grins "s'the only way i can get 'im to put it on my tab."

"Um . . . No . . . but I could try . . ."

"don't worry i do this all the time, we're friends, it's like our thing." He says shrugging with his eyes closed, the sweat on Fell's forehead however says otherwise.

"s'ok on my count you'd go for the door and i'll cover ya." He gives Debug a mischievous grin. "ya in? or nah? s'fine either way, no pressure."

"I don't know really . . . I don't want you to be in trouble . . . "

"nah i'd be fine. it seems it'd make ya too uncomfortable though." Fell sighs in defeat.

"alright guess we're playin it straight this time." Fell chuckles "can't say i play it straight that often." He says with a wink.

Fell then turns around and shouts at the bartender "yo grillbz! the check!"

Debug is looking at him.

"nevermind just keep the change!" Fell slaps some g on the table and turns to Debug "lets bounce." Fell stands offering a hand outta his seat to Debug.

"i think there's a couple places that'd be interesting to visit round here, ya gotta stick close to me though, not too many'll fuck with ya if i'm around."

"Okay" Debug took his hand.

[tcswritings]

Sleepless.

It’s Spring 2013. Orla can’t sleep because of a late night drawing session. But also because she has things on her mind.

***

4:02 am.

Orla O’Connell lay wide awake on her back and let out a faint but rather dramatic sigh. The room around her was mostly dark, only a bit of moonlight fell through the blinds, creating a striped pattern on the walls. She had counted those stripes for the umpteenth time now, instead of sheep, but there was no use. Sleep was out of question.

‘I should’ve known better.’ Orla thought and rolled her eyes at herself. ‘As if picking up my damn sketchbook late ever ends in a good night’s sleep.’

Mick had already gone to bed around eleven (which was a bummer because Orla had other plans) but it was only Friday - well, Saturday now - and she was about to spend the weekend at his apartment and she was pretty tired herself a few hours earlier after all. The last week had been really exhausting; her current art school projects ate up most of her free time as well as her energy and Mick’s week hadn’t been very enjoyable either, judging from the few bits he had told her during the week. They haven’t had much time for anything else but occasional phone calls and text messages which only added to their overall grumpiness - they had missed each other terribly.

Although both were certainly wiped enough, neither Orla nor Mick wanted to go to bed at seven already so they ordered in some food and just crashed on the couch together, tackling the newest episodes of their current favourite guilty pleasure show and it somehow turned out to be a perfect evening nonetheless and so Orla figured that there wasn’t anything to complain about at all - they had each other back now and there were no regrets, merely two full days to look forward to.

The world was in balance again.

At least until Orla made the mistake of getting out her sketchbook when Mick was just about to go to sleep, “Just for a few minutes, I’ll be with you in a bit!”, and the worst part was that he had warned her as well, “Nah, don’t start drawin’ now. Just don’t. You know what happens when y’do.”, but seeing that it was too late already (and knowing that arguing with her was pointless anyway), he just groaned and rolled his eyes before kissing her goodnight and disappearing into his bedroom. Orla could’ve sworn that he mumbled a rather unflattering remark regarding her state of mind on his way out but she didn’t really care, her latest sketch already had her full attention.

That way she could also finally pay attention to all the thoughts that had been coming to her mind over the week. There were quite a few of them. In fact, there were so many that she was forced to take them to bed with her and here she was - sleep-deprived and caught up in incoherent thoughts.

Orla sighed again. Normally she loved that Mick knew her so well but right now? Not so much. He would get up well rested in a few hours after all, while she wouldn’t feel and function (and look) significantly better than an average lower class zombie. She looked over to her right side. Mick was apparently sound asleep, looking unusually peaceful.

���Yeah, great. Just play Sleeping Beauty, I get it.’ Orla thought, rather miffed and she looked back to the ceiling, crossing her arms over her chest. The prospect of spending the next few hours like this had no appeal at all to her and Orla couldn’t see any good reason why she should spend her sleepless misery all by herself. She didn’t really want to wake Mick up just like that, though. There had to be things she could do that would make him wake up sooner or later and that she could later pretend to be entirely oblivious about.

Orla bit her lip and after a little while she had an idea. She slid out of bed and stomped into the living room, not bothering at all to be quiet (maybe shutting a door not so quietly would already do the job), digging for her tablet in her bag and when she found it, she hurried back. She flopped on the bed, rustling the bedsheets a little longer than necessary before she crept back under them, arranging the pillows behind her so she could sit up comfortably.

Another expectant glance to the other bedside. Nothing. Not even the slightest movement. ‘Jesus, O’Loughlin, what are you, dead?’

Orla switched the tablet on and turned the volume up. She had already thought of the perfect movie with the perfect opening sequence to watch. It took her a moment to browse through her files, hoping that she hadn’t already deleted Declan’s stuff from the hard drive as planned but she was lucky.

“… aaaand there it is. A New Hope.” she mumbled and double clicked the file. “Do your best, George Lucas.”

Only a few moments later the all too familiar tune blasted from the device, just as Orla expected, and she hummed along for a while, checking every few moments if her sleepy boyfriend would finally deign to wake up and keep her company. The sound wasn’t ridiculously loud, that would be too obvious, but, combined with the light coming from the iPad, it certainly had potential to wake someone up and her method turned out to be quite effective indeed: Mick wrinkled his nose a little and let out a little disgruntled noise of disapproval. After a few moments he reached out, eyes still closed, clumsily groping around in the dark, apparently trying to figure out the source of the noise so he could turn it off.

Success. Orla turned down the volume again quickly. When Mick’s hand landed on her arm, she put her own hand on it.

“What’s up, baby? Oh god, sorry, I didn’t wake you up, did I?” she murmured, not able to supress a smirk that she knew he couldn’t see.

“Mmmmmh…” Mick murmured.

“What was that?” Amused, Orla now put the tablet away and leaned over him, her lips almost brushing his ear.

“Whaddayadoin…”

“I… didn’t mean to wake you. I couldn’t sleep so I thought I could watch a movie, maybe…” Orla replied, stroking his hair and, above all, making sure to sound as innocent as possible.

“Ugh…” Mick now drew his arm back, covering his face with it.

“I’m sorry.” Orla said. “But hey, now that you’re awake, we can watch it together.”

“Why?”

“’Cause watching movies is fun?”

“No. Yah... no. What have I ever done to ya?” He sounded so hilariously dazed that Orla had to laugh.

“You haven’t done anything!”

Mick rolled over now, scooting closer and snuggling up to his girlfriend, putting his arm around her hips and resting his head on her lap. Orla smiled and happily ran her fingers through his hair again. Yep. That was kinda what she had in mind.

“I don’ wanna watch Star Wars. Not ever.” Mick murmured before his gaze eventually fell on the alarm clock on the little bedside table. He raised his head again and blinked in disbelief. “Are ya outta ya mind? It’s almost four fuckin’ thirty!”

“I told you I couldn’t sleep!” Orla cried out.

“Oh my god!” Mick flopped back into Orla’s lap. “I told ya not to pick up that fuckin’ sketchbook!” His voice was muffled.

“Yeah but-”

“Did I tell ya not to draw? Did I?”

“You did. Don’t be dramatic now.”

“I jus’ wanna sleep. It’s 4:30, I got ev’ry right ta be dramatic at 4:30.”

“Ah no, that’s such a waste of energy.”

“What energy, I’m out of energy.”

Orla giggled a little at his remark as he still sounded somewhat dazed. “Hey, weirdo, now that you’re awake…” she lightly patted his head, ”you can entertain me! How’s that?”

“I can hardly keep my eyes open, can’t possibly do that now.” Mick rubbed his eyes with one hand. “Gimme ten minutes.” he added quietly, a few moments later.

“Oh my god, you’re terrible!” Orla laughed. “Wasn’t talking about that. I mean, I dunno. Let’s just talk for a moment? I’ve been thinking a bit lately.”

“‘bout what?”

“I dunno. Things.”

“What things?”

“About us.”

Despite the soft voice that Orla was using, the statement jolted Mick a little further out of his sleepy state. He opened his eyes in the dark again and frowned but Orla couldn’t see that.

“What about us?” he asked quietly.

“I dunno. Nothing in particular. Or, well. There’s something, I guess?”

“So, what is it?”

Orla sighed. “Maybe it sounds silly but... doesn’t it ever feel weird to you that we, y’know, never fight?”

Startled at the unexpected sentiment, Mick let out a little laugh. “Wait, what relationship are you in? We fight all the time! We just did, kinda?”

“Nah, that’s not ‘fighting’, that’s usually foreplay.”

“Fair enough. Still. We do fight. I mean, I’m sure we fight?”

“No, we don’t.” Orla caressed Mick’s upper arm by tracing little circles on it. “Jessie said it. Ever since we became, y’know, this, we’ve been in such harmony. Inseparable. Almost, like, synched.”

There was silence for a few moments. Just when Orla feared that Mick had fallen asleep again, he turned his head to face her and propped himself up a little.

“So... ya want us to shout at each other every day or what?” he asked carefully, still not quite sure why Orla would bring this subject up in the middle of the night. Or, better said, the very early morning hours.

“Of course not.” Orla rolled her eyes. “Don’t be silly now.”

“I mean, we’ve been datin’ for, like, what? Four weeks?”

“Five.”

“Yeah, either way, that’s not exactly what one would call long time commitment, eh? Ya really want us t’ be miserable so soon?”

“I don’t wanna be miserable, silly, I just... I dunno. I feel that real relationships should have more fighting.”

Mick looked at Orla for a few moments, eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

“... ‘kay, I’ll try my best to piss y’off more often from now on.” he eventually shook his head a little before he laid back down to rest in Orla’s lap again.

“You’re not taking me seriously at all, are you?!” Orla rolled her eyes again and gave Mick a light slap to the back of his head.

“Ow!”

“That can’t possibly have hurt. Like, at all.” she scoffed but began to stroke his hair again, as if to make up for the slap she had just given him.

“My head hurts from yer ‘We should fight more!’ shit. I mean, Orla, c’mon. Who cares what Jessie says?”

“I’ll tell her you said that!”

“Or what anyone else says in that matter.” Mick groaned. “Ya know what I mean. None of our friends is exactly an expert in the field, don’t ya think?”

Again, silence. Mick closed his eyes again, hoping that Orla would eventually let it go so they could get at least a few more hours of rest.

“Are you mad now?” Orla asked after a few moments, grinning, lightly pulling at a strand of his hair.

Okay, so much for ‘rest’, Mick thought to himself.

“C’mon, you wanna fight now? I made you mad, we have to fight now!” Orla insisted and she clearly was no longer tired.

“I’m not mad, you’re just annoying.”

“Aw, now we’re definitely gonna fight, you said a mean thing!”

“I did not-”

“Finally. Our first fight. Prepare for some cliche phrases.”

“Orla, what the hell?” Mick laughed. Screw it. She wants to play, let her play. He was no longer tired anyway.

Orla was relieved when she heard him laugh.

“You never listen to me!” she suddenly cried out, using a tone of mock dispair.

“Oh my god.” Still laughing, Mick rolled over on his back. “Get away from me.”

Orla joined in laughing and she scooted closer, slowly crawling on top of him.

“You never take me seriously either!”

“No, I certainly don’t.”

“You don’t care for me-”

“- ah, c’mon, that’s debatable-”

“- and I always I have to do all the apartment cleaning by myself!” Orla finished her little mock outrage and bent down to Mick, kissing him sweetly.

“You never cleaned my apartment so far.” he murmured against Orla’s lips, placing a hand to the side of her neck and pulling her into another deep kiss. “Hey, ya wanna do that later? I have a new mop!”

“Woah! Sexist much?” Orla gave Mick another light slap to his head, sat up and crossed her arms. She knew he didn’t mean what he had just said but she felt playful.

“Ya don’t need to wear any clothes, by the way.” He put his hands to her hips and squeezed them a little and the somewhat firm touch sent a little shiver down Orla’s spine.

“See? You’re terrible.You deserve to be shouted at.”

Mick looked up at Orla and bit his lower lip, lightly tugging at the hem of her shorts. “Hey... come back down here for a moment.”

Orla did as he asked her to, curious as to what was on his mind. “What is it?”

“Do ya really- I mean, ya really think it’s a bad thing that we don’t actually fight?”

“I was just saying-”

“‘Cause I think that’s a good thing, y’know?” He cupped her face in both of his hands and gave her another kiss. “Call me a softie or anythin’ but I’ve never believed in all those bullshit cliches. That couples have to be miserable and irritated with each other. You don’t want that kind of relationship. I don’t want it.”

Orla pushed a lost strand of hair out of Mick’s face and smiled at him. “No, of course not. It’s just... it’s just all I know. Like, I don’t have a whole lot of reference where there was no fighting involved.”

“Yeah, and how did that work out for ya?”

“It didn’t.” 

Mick played with a strand of Orla’s hair, curling it around his finger and letting it go again. “I can do without the fighting.” he eventually said.

“Chloe and Malachy fight, but they handle it somehow? They’re perfect for each other. So it’s maybe not only a bad thing after all.”

“Aye but Chloe’s a hothead and Malachy is, well, uh... Malachy. We’re not anything like them.”

“You are a hothead.”

“Not really.” Mick shook his head.

“Hey, I’ve known you for much longer than five weeks, okay? You, sir, are a hothead.” Orla insisted.

“I’m not. Not with you.”

“Not with me, no.” Orla smiled. “Still. I don’t think fighting is just bad. I mean, how do they say? Friction causes heat. And heat eventually turns into warmth.”

“Aye, okay, I’m not sayin’ we won’t ever fight but it doesn’t have to be and if we don’t, ya shouldn’t worry ‘bout it.” A thought crossed Mick’s mind and he propped himself up on his elbows. “Wait, what, are y’ bored already? Is that what this is all about? Oh my god!”

“Oh god, no, I’m not bored!” When Mick just kept looking at her with a dumbfounded expression, Orla had to laugh. “I am not. bored., you weirdo. Anything but that, trust me. Actually... “

“What?”

“No. “Orla shook her head. “It’s silly. And sappy.”

“Orla, y’ can’t just start sentences and not finish ‘em.” Mick sighed and laid back down again. “That’s what I do.” he added with a smile.

“Yeah, and you must stop that, by the way, it’s annoying and the ‘It’s cute ‘cause I’m sleeping with you!’ bonus will expire one day.”

“Don’t change the subject. Tell me what ya think.”

“No. Gives you way too much power.” Orla smirked.

“Orla, please.”

“Alright.” she sighed. “It’s so dumb. Don’t take this the wrong way but... I think I’m scared sometimes.”

“Scared? Why that?”

“I mean, aren’t you? We’ve been together for such a short time only and sometimes it freaks me out how much it unsettles me when you’re not around.”

“What do ya mean?”

“Okay, look. Just think of last week. I was literally on the edge of my sanity ‘cause we couldn’t meet up for even five fuckin’ minutes. Apparently I’m that kind of girl now and I hate it.”

“What kind of girl?”

“The kind of girl who needs her stupid boyfriend or otherwise she’ll freak.”

“Oy, watch it.” Mick pinched her side a little but he was smiling.

“Sorry. Got carried away, y’know. Feelings.” Orla smiled right back.

“But seriously, why d’ ya hate that? I feel the same, I was close to murdering my co-workers and once ya got here, my bad mood was like... poof. Gone!”

“Okay, that’s kind of cute... except for the murdering-your-co-workers part. Please don’t do that.” Orla raised an eyebrow.

“Figure of speech. If I killed them, I’d have to do all that work alone.” 

“I’m sure they appreciate your motives for letting them live.”

“This is not about them.” Mick caressed Orla’s cheek with his thumb and she closed her eyes at his gentle touch.

“I know. I dunno. It’s not that I don’t enjoy things as they are. I do. It’s just... what if-”

Reading her thought, Mick just closed his eyes and shook his head. “No. Don’ even think that, I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“‘Cause I am.” Realising how weird he probably sounded and that such a statement based on a simple feeling probably wouldn’t convince her, Mick tried to think of something that would back up what he had just said but he couldn’t think of anything reasonable. He realised that, in a way, Orla was right. He couldn’t be sure. It really was just a feeling, but the feeling was strong enough and for some weird reason Mick had always been better off trusting his guts so far and so he shrugged. “I dunno. I just am.”

It looked like Orla didn’t need any reason as she smiled right down at him. They looked at each other like that for a few more moments and while nothing they had just said made any sense, their little world was still perfect

Eventually Orla pulled back and sat up again, her expression curious.

“So you’re a fortune teller now?” she asked.

“What?”

“Well, apparently you can now predict the future. That’s good, that way I’ll never have to worry about anything anymore, I can just ask you about how things are gonna turn out.”

“Well, if it makes ya happy?”

“Yeah! So, what else can you tell me? Am I going to be rich? Famous?” Orla lowered her voice. “Clearly I’m already drop dead beautiful.” She did an elegant hair flip and smiled down at her boyfriend.

“Aye, y’are.” Mick smiled back and nodded. “Well, I can tell ya that my neighbours will be up very soon.”

“Really? Why would they, it’s barely 5. Is that something you just know as well?”

“Aye.” Mick bit his lip and put on a playful grin. He put his hands back to Orla’s hips, pulling her a little closer. “Ya be screamin’ my name in less than, uhm... let’s say thirty minutes, it’ll wake ‘em up.”

“Aw, I hate you when you’re cocky like that.”

“Nah, ya don’t.”

“Nah, I don’t.” Orla grinned and she let Mick pull her into another kiss - one that didn’t leave too much room for interpretation but a few moments later she sat back up again as she got hit by another thought.

“Hey, so we never really finished that discussion about fighting.” Orla noted, out of breath, her smile wide.

“Oh my god, are ya fuckin’ serious?”

“Just listen to me!”

“Now? No way, I got other stuff on my mind now, come back down here!” Mick used both hands to wave Orla nearer.

“Alright, in a second. Just promise me you’ll at least consider provoking a fight every now and then!”

“God, what? Why?”

“Just three words...” she teased, as she slowly pulled down the straps of her tank top. 

“Huh?”

“Make up sex.”

***

[craniumaniac-moved]

【 night of the lockdown . 】✘

a discord rp ft. @tender--age--in--plume���

This roleplay is set during the night of the Po Town lockdown put into effect by Plumeria after a bomb threat. The threat was a result of the events that took place the previous night when Rico ( @komala-scientist ) purposefully baited Guzma to beat him up. Warning: It’s long, took us over 12 hours to get done, and it’s emotional.

Mercifully, things have begun to quiet down. Shady House is fuller even than usual, with many team members having chosen to stay in the main house due to the lockdown rather than overflowing into the surrounding houses as is typical. The beds are packed and many have piled up on the floor like dogs. Plumeria doesn't mind, She likes knowing exactly where everyone is, especially at a time like this. Unable to sleep, she laps around the mansion and checks in again and again. Eventually her travels lead her to the Throne Room; she hesitates with her hand on the knob for a moment before sighing and letting herself in. "Hey, G."

While it may have been a hectic day for everybody else, it had been a quiet one for the Skull Boss. Holed up in his room and not communicating with anyone, he napped, he snacked, he drank, he smoked, he watched porn, and he played some GTA and even some Pokemon Crossing. Currently, he sat on his bed, a drawing pad open in front of him, many colored pencils scattered around him, and a bottle of gin nestled between his legs. He's surprised when she comes in, looking up with a small gasp. She'd been keeping him updated professionally, but other than that he didn't think she wanted anything to do with him currently. This mess was all kind of his doing ( but mostly Rico’s, as he would strongly argue ), although he wasn't taking it very seriously himself. He considered the entire series of events to be completely stupid, to put it frankly. "Hey, P. Sup."

There's a little pause as she notes his relaxed posture, a hint of resentment welling in her. The door closes behind her and she folds her arms, regarding him with a cool gaze. "Have a nice night?"

He shrugs, looking back down to his drawing pad to continue coloring something in. "I guess... Just tryin'a keep chill."

A small sigh ... she approaches the bed and comes to sit next to him.

He's quiet for a little bit as he puts the finishing touches on a Scolipede doodle. When he's done, he decides a big swig of his drink is overdue, still finding it hard to look at her. "How're you doin'...?"

"Shitty," she replies honestly, leaning over to slump against him. "Long night. Think shit's coolin' down now though."

"Ya prolly deserve some good sleep, y'know..." Another swig.

"Maybe ... was worried about you, though." She glancing at the sketchbook. "Guess maybe I shouldn't'a been ... looks like you ain't been much bothered."

"Oh, 'm bothered, that's fo'sure." He reaches to flip to the next blank page in the sketchbook, starting to think of what to draw next. "But I ain't scared."

There comes a small huff through her nose. "You ain't scared'a nothin'."

"Well... guess 'm lyin' a lil bit. I'm scared'a you bein' upset wit' me..."

Silence, for a few moments. "...I ain't very happy right now, that's for sure. But ... I dunno. I ain't really pissed at you."

In those few moments, he grabs a black colored pencil and nearly puts it to the paper multiple times before he realizes he can't draw with someone watching, not even Plumeria. A sigh. He closes the sketchbook and starts to bundle up the pencils. "I'unno what ya want me to do. I didn' fuckin' do nothin' wrong..."

Sighing deeply, she leans back against the headboard. "I know. I was pissed at you for not tryin' and then you tried and Rico went and fucked shit up. I just ... I dunno why you couldn't both try make it work for me. When one'a you was tryin' the other one was makin' shit hard and then you switched places. I was real excited when I thought shit might actually be okay ... I wanted it so bad. More then I ever wanted anything. And now it's all shit."

"Yo I fuckin' learned from my mistake before, s'why I was tryin' to try last night. Rico's a fuckin' idiot t'not go 'long wit' it." He flops his art supplies to the floor next to the bed, stretching out his legs and leaning back with her, gulping down some drink as he does so. "I knew you'd be real excited. I was, too. Not really to be his friend or nothin' but I knew it'd make ya happy... n' proud'a me. I was real proud'a myself, steppin' back 'fore I dove in givin' him a hard time, instead decidin' on tryin'a relate to him somehow. Even if it was just our fuckin' birthdays bein' around Halloween." A pause. "Yeah. It is all shit. I'm real, real sorry, Plumes. He's not gettin' another chance wit' me after pullin' that shit on me..."

She anticipated that, but it's still painful to hear. She pulls her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around them, resting her forehead against the backs of her knees. "I know."

But wait, there's more. The kingpin's about to go on a tipsy ramble. "He fuckin' used me, Plumeria. Asshole was thinkin', 'Hurr durr I wanna get hurt 'cause boohoo I hate me! I know what I can do! I can go make the big dumb thug get mad! I'll take advantage 'a how easy it is to piss him off 'cause he's so stupid! Insert some random ass gibberish ain't nobody got time for! And fuck Plumeria's feelin's to hell 'cause obviously I don't give a shit about her!' Arceus damn!" A deep breath. He's clutching the neck of the gin bottle so tightly his hand is trembling and his knuckles are white. "Ya tol' me to shut up earlier when I was tryin'a say this, but you keepin' close to him got me real worried."

As he speaks, she closes her eyes. Okay, Melia. Keep it together. Slowly, gradually, she unwinds, stretching her legs back out and sitting up to square her shoulders. How stupid of her to think that coming to him would give her a soft place to land. "Yeah, well. I wouldn't be who I am if I gave up on every person who hurt me," she replies stiffly.

Finally, he turns his head to look at her. "You tryin'a hold on like he's family, but he ain't yo' family, Plumeria. That's me, that's all'a Skull, that's Tutu n' anybody else you close wit' who don't fuck wit' us like T n' even Hyde. I been fucked wit' by Rico, so's T."

"You tellin' me you want me cut him out?"

He runs a hand through his hair and sighs, becoming distressed. "I can't control what ya do. Jus' don't be fuckin' disappointed in me for not acceptin' him like he's part'a the fam."

Time passes. At last, a slow nod. "I understand." She's still not looking at him.

And he looks away. Hugging the bottle close to his stomach with one hand, his other hand covers his eyes as he hunches over. "I'm sorry..."

Her eyes snap closed again. "I'm sorry, too."

"You still gonna be disappointed in me, aren't ya?" Shuddering sigh. "Dammit, I was so proud 'a me, Plume, I really was... Couldn't wait for you bein' proud 'a me, too..."

"I ain't disappointed in you, G. I'm just ... disappointed. I really wanted this, and I--thought I could trust him." Her voice breaks.

He sits up, places his bottle on the floor and scoots himself over to her, arms slipping around her for a Komala hug. "It's gonna be aight, y'know..."

The moment he touches her ... she breaks. It starts with a sharp, haggard gasp and a flinch, her eyes shutting tight as her body tenses up, and then continues with ugly, shuddering sobs that wrack her body.

Although it's not something he has never experienced with her before, the reaction admittedly startles him. He doesn't know whether to stop or to hold on tighter, so he simply loosens his grip for the time being. "Plumes...! Shhh... I got ya, Plumes...," he attempts to soothe.

She grips his arms around her tightly as though to keep him from slipping away, squeezing, gulping down deep, wet breaths until she calms down enough to speak. "...Sorry."

Since she seems to want him to continue holding, he squeezes and he doesn't stop, rocking her back and forth slightly. "That's okay, P. Just let out what ya need to. G's here for ya."

"I'm––s–so–––fuckin'–––tired..." She chokes, gritting her teeth hard as she tries to swallow down the fresh wave.

"C'mon, let's put ya to bed then? You been workin' real hard today..." He doesn't quite get it.

"No...not tired like that. Tired of this." She sniffs wetly, lifting a hand to swipe at the tears that have fallen.

"Oh..." He lovingly kisses her cheek and the edge of her jaw, hoping to further comfort her. "I still don't quite get what ya mean... What's 'this' exactly...?"

She stammers, then takes a big, shaky breath. "I just...spent all day...talkin' to the fam, textin' with Aether, dealin' with people wanna kill you, makin' sure everybody safe, dealin' with Nanu...and you been in here drawin'. 'Cause you think it's all stupid. Well, maybe it's stupid for you...maybe this all real fuckin' easy for you...but it ain't easy for me. It's hard. I never signed up for do this all alone. You s'posed'a have my back." A ragged breath. "Maybe...maybe you don't even care. Maybe this all sounds like more bullshit 'cause you don't think you did nothin' wrong...like that makes it better...like that means less fallout for me. Well--at least you got somethin' you wanted outta it all." She sighs. "I stayed home."

His mouth falls open and slowly and unsurely... he lets go of her. Maybe he deserved it, but that really, really wounded him. "Nobody came t' me 'bout anything...," he says weakly. "An' I didn't come to nobody 'bout anything neither 'cause I felt like I'd fuck it up. I'd get mad we was even havin' to deal with this stupid shit Rico's dumb friends brought on us 'cause they ain't know shit, 'cause he can't fuckin' make it clear he asked for it, makin' me out to be all fuckin' wrong when I—" Deep breath. He doesn't want to get off track. "Plumes... I'm real thankful ya stayed home... real thankful for all the shit you done today... been wantin' to talk to ya but I thought you was still too mad at me..." Suddenly standing from the bed, he begins pacing the room to help expend some of his newfound anxious energy before he possibly cracks, pulling at his hair.

Her eyes follow him. When he stands she wraps her arms around herself and draws a deep breath. "I know...I know." Her eyes slip shut. "I don't..." Fuck it, Melia. He doesn't understand. He gonna think me stupid. Trust him. "I don't wanna lose my dad. Again." She winces, bracing herself as though for impact.

He stops his pacing and just stares at her, hands still gripping his hair, but the tenseness in his posture goes limp with a heavy exhale. "Plumes... He ain't your dad. Even if he was he ain't been a good one, 'specially not that I ever seen."

"No...you ain't ever seen it. And you never asked, either." Her face is expressionless.

"What's'at s'posed to mean...?"

"Just ... there's more to it than you ever saw. There's more to it than I ever told you. You actin' like you got all the information ... and you don't."

He lowers himself to the floor, sitting and curling into a ball in the middle of the room. "I try stay outta yo' business like'at...," he mutters. "And... look... I been there, done that havin' a father in my life n' it's jus' not somethin' I think's worth it. Hard for me t' get, hard to want to. But if there was stuff ya wanna tell me I'd'a listened..."

Slowly, she sinks to the ground and crawls over to settle down beside him, hesitantly lifting a hand to gently stroke his back. "I... never really thought you wanted for hear it. Maybe I could'a prevented all this if I been more honest with you." She sighs. "I know it ain't a topic you got good feelin's about, but ... I dunno. It's important for me. Was important for me ... still is important for me. Just ... I guess maybe I gotta make a choice now." She bites her lip. "Nothin' I want for myself can be more important than my fam ... no matter how bad I want it."

"What options you think you got...?" His head is lifted and he turns toward her. Selfishly, he'd want her to cut Rico out. The things the man has done around him and said to him about his family—their family—are unforgivable, really. But if he is truly a father figure to her who makes her happy, Guzma doesn't want her heart broken... He'll try his best to accept whatever she chooses.

"That's the thing, G. I dunno if I got an option."

"Well then I mean what're you thinkin'...?" He uncurls himself from the position he was in and once again puts his arms around her.

"I'm thinkin'..." Deep sigh. She shuts her eyes and stiffens, refusing to lean into his embrace—not out of anger, but because she needs herself to be strong at the moment. "I'm thinkin' I been puttin' my own needs ahead'a my fam too long. If it gotta come down between him and their safety... it's gotta be them."

Guzma gives a nod. "My opinion's prolly obvious, but I do think that's smart thinkin'..."

So ... that's it. She goes stone silent and still.

"I'm... sorry. I don't want you hurtin'..."

"It don't matter." She stands. "You okay?"

"Yes it fuckin' does matter." He stands as well, letting her slip out of his arms and ignoring her question.

"G... don't."

"Don't what?!"

"Don't make this harder for me."

A big sigh. "Aight. Fine. I'll shut up."

"'M doin' what you want and what's best for the fam. You ought'a be happy." She pauses and drops her gaze, glancing towards the door. "So should I."

"I mean, I guess, yeah... but still hurts seein' you hurtin'. Always will."

"Yeah, well ... I had my chance. I fucked it up." Her words are cold--not cold like ice, but cold like a corpse.

"You didn't fuck up nothin'."

"Yeah. I did."

He crosses his arms and looks away, not wanting to argue anymore.

Silence.

"I love you. Missed ya lately, too..." His gaze is still averted.

"...I love you, too."

He looks at her with a tiny smile.

He does not receive one in kind. "You need me tonight, G?"

Swallow. Noticing she doesn't smile back, he loses his. "Uhm..." He shakes his head. A lie.

"I'm gonna need a couple hours off-base. I wanna tell him in person." She doesn't meet his eye.

"...'Kay."

Anguish.

"What is it, P? If you done here, if ya don't need me, ya can go on..."

She shakes her head. "Ain't about not needin' you. You know that, yeah?"

Nod. "Uh-huh. So what you still here for?"

"Nothin', I guess." She doesn't move.

He just stands there, looking at her with a subtle glare.

...Sigh. "A'ight. Later, G." Finally, she turns to go.

He almost stops her, wishing he could give her a quick kiss, but is afraid she'll reject it after how the past few days have gone. "Lemme know how shit goes. I'll be awake, I'll be here for ya."

There's a brief pause in the doorway. "...I know. Thanks, Guzma." She doesn't look back. The door closes behind her.

He sighs, finding his unfinished bottle of liquor to continue nursing the thing, and places himself on his throne so his bed doesn't tempt him to pass out.