#listen to me ramble about my self insert *slams hand on desk* | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

swimyghost · 4 years ago

Text

Be Careful

Sup bros, this is the first fanfic in what I’m calling the Shared Universe between my friends @wickedhellagoodtime @holyfandomsnazz @self-insert-nonsense

I hope you all enjoy.

College was boring. That wasn't an opinion but a fact to many. Although college was newly free humans and nonhumans’ first taste of freedom, the long lectures and the even longer list of assignments wore many down.

All except for one.

??????, or simply Six-Q to their three friends, was an odd student, to say the least. They were nonbinary, a target for simple teasing and major bigots alike, but they never fought back. No, they left the fighting to their 6'1 werewolf friend who wasn't afraid to use her natural strength again childish older teens. Six-Q also suffered from the fact that no one could identify if they were human or not. Their eyes were a bright neon purple, a color that matched the tips of their black hair. Their body was slender and tall, but not a giant compared to the real giants that occupied the campus. Six-Q was also quiet, very quiet, but it wasn't due to shyness or being anti-social. It was because their mouth was sewn shut with ebony thread.

"Why do you have that stupid thread anyway?" asked Six-Q's first-ever college friend, Riley.

Six-Q let an exhale out of their nose. Riley Stormcross was a stubborn, high-class woman who didn't take a simple 'no' for an answer. More simply, Riley was a well-off daddy's girl who hated simple explanations and wanted to pry into everyone's life. That wasn't to say she was completely full of negative traits, Riley was fiercely loyal to her friends but downright venomous to her enemies. Six-Q once saw her drunkenly fight off two frat boys because started calling them a queer. They were rather impressed after she won that battle while completely intoxicated and could walk stably enough to get more drinks.

"I told you, it’s complicated," Six-Q said, flashing signs underneath the rounded lecture hall table so the teacher won't notice.

"Yeah, well, I've been your friend for like, two years now? You have to tell me why." Riley huffed, crossing her arms over her teal crop top. Six-Q could vaguely make out a worn cartoon storm cloud with an angry face printed in the middle of her crop top.

"Please, I don't want to talk about it." Six-Q attempted to weasel their way out of the conversation. Their literally sealed lips were a sensitive topic they'd rather not think about.

"C'mon, it can't be that bad! Besides, I told you my secret technique on how to get neckbeards to tip more when-"

"Ms. Stormcross! Leave Mr. Q alone. Just because I seated you next to him to translate doesn't mean you have the right to speak with him whenever."

Oh, no was they only thought Six-Q had. All the rest of the students thought the same because nervous looks they had when they peered over at the electric blue-haired girl. Riley's left eye twitch. "They."

"Pardon?" the teacher said, sounding tired as if he had this conversation before.

"Six-Q uses they/them pronouns. We've been over this, like, what, six times, old man." Riley snapped.

"That's Professor Walker to you, young lady, and I don't appreciate your tone." Professor Walker's eyes narrowed into slits.

Riley's own sky blue eyes followed suit. "I'd be a lot happier if you actually tried to use the correct pronouns for once. Have you forgotten who my father is? One call to the dean and he'll have your teaching license suspended."

Barrett Stormcross was a meteorologist to the rest of the world. But to the nonhuman and human communities who knew about the world of witches, he was a powerful storm witch with the ability to predict and create most, if not all, storms. Six-Q hadn't met the man, but judging by the quiet gasps and the reddening face of the teacher, he was a big deal.

"I will not tolerate threats in my classroom, Ms. Stormcross! Leave, now!"

"Fine!" Riley shouted back. She began shoveling her textbooks and notebooks into her tote bag and stormed out of the classroom while giving Professor Walker a death glare. The hard slam of the wooden door shook the whole room. Six-Q swore another crack had been added to the list of cracks and missing wood fragments on the door. The lecture hall wasn't big, so Six-Q couldn't easily hide under the desk in shame, away from the stares that all the students, from the students sitting on the same level as Six-Q to those in the higher level desks.

"Uh, Mr. Wa-"

"Professor!" the teacher snapped. Six-Q could see that he was frantically trying to compose himself by brushing his white hair and beard and flicking off invisible pieces of dirt from his vest.

"Yeah, right. Professor Walker, what do we do about the deaf kid?"

Mute! Six-Q thought tartly. Professor Walker glared at them, causing the older teen to shrink into their seat.

"Well, guess he won't be able to participate, will he?"

No one dared corrected his misgendering, choosing to listen to the professor ramble on about psychology and the human mind once more. Six-Q could barely focus on Walker's words. A wave of anger was building in their chest. One that wasn't entirely their own.

Calm down, please! Six-Q silently panicked.

"And that concludes the topic on social cognition. Now, we have a test next week on Wednesday so study, all of you!"

Six-Q blinked back to the present noticing their classmates passing them without even looking in their direction. The only thing a student did that got any sort of reaction from Six-Q was one of their Fae classmates had flown directly over them, nearly hitting them in the back of the head. Six-Q quickly stuffed their books into their backpack and tried to race out of the classroom.

"Mr. Q."

Six-Q froze in the middle of the doorway. Classmates shoved them aside so they could leave the room. Six-Q slowly turned and nodded towards the Professor. The Professor took his glasses off his forehead and rested them on his podium.

"I understand you kids like forging new genders and titles to make yourselves feel special, but try to tell your friend to not have tantrums in class if her feelings get hurt."

Six-Q flashed a sideways okay hand underneath their chin. Professor Walker took that as a sign that Six-Q understood and waved his hand like he was waving away a stray dog. "You're dismissed."

Six-Q bowed their head then shuffled out into the crowded white tiled hall. They couldn't help but smile. That sideways okay was the sign for "asshole". Six-Q didn't like to swear, but Riley's and their roommate Rei's unfiltered mouths had rubbed off on them. Speaking of Riley, Six-Q knew they had to find the hot-headed girl or else a fight would ensue. They trudged through the slow-moving crowd then managed to stumble onto the campus grounds.

Despite it nearly being the middle of fall, the trees still held onto their bright green leaves. A peaceful atmosphere hung over the grounds as students and teachers alike walked around on the freshly cut grass. Six-Q could see two centaurs playing frisbee with each other, laughing as it spun in the air like a dancer. Harpies, Fae, Sylphs, and other winged nonhumans happily flew through the sky, laughing as a harsh, yet warm breeze blew over them and ruined one Fae girl's hair. Six-Q could see a study group taking place as well as a picnic date. They took a deep breath and let out a content sigh. This was what college was about, not transphobic old men.

It didn't take Six-Q to find Riley. She was sitting under a tree with one leg folded close to her chest and another laid straight on the grass. She had some wireless earbuds in listening to some type of loud music, so it wasn't a surprise when Six-Q didn't try to get her attention it failed. She was also hypnotized by something on her phone so it lessened Six-Q chances of gaining her attention. Finally, what got Riley to notice them was Six-Q lightly kicking her checkered slip-on shoes. At first, Riley furrowed her brows and glared up at the disturber of her peace. When she realized who had bothered her, her expression turned positive and she pulled the earbuds out.

"Hey, is class over? What did old man Walker say about me?"

"Nothing. But he didn't call one of the translators from the head office or anything so I had to sit in silence." Six-Q explained.

"That bastard!" Riley snarled. For once, Six-Q didn't feel like calming her down. In fact, they wanted to match her rage. Sadly, they had to be the reasonable one in the relationship or else Riley would've been put in jail for life already.

"But I did call him something on the way out." Six-Q continued, hoping Riley noticed their devious smile.

"What?"

Six-Q showed her the sign and she immediately burst into high-pitched laughter.

"Please tell me this isn't a joke! Please tell me you actually did that!" Riley asked through her laughs. Six-Q proudly nodded, causing her to laugh more. It took a while, but the witch finally stopped and caught her breath.

"I think I'm a bad influence on you, Q." Riley declared.

"Yep!" Six-Q replied.

Riley chuckled, then stood up, dusting some dirt off her shorts. "Hey, you don't have any classes after psychology, right?"

Six-Q, worried about where this was going, nodded. Without warning, Riley wrapped her arm around their's and set off towards the campus's exit.

"C'mon, let's go shopping!"

"Shopping?!" exclaimed Six-Q, being forced to spell it out on one hand due to the other being stuck in Riley's tight grip.

"Yeah! My monthly Patreon money just came in and I need some new clothes," Riley looked them up and down, "I think you need some too."

Six-Q just glared at Riley as they continued to be dragged away from campus. The guards watching the campus's gates barely batted an eye at them, sealing Six-Q's fate. They were stuck with Riley for the rest of the afternoon. They let the upper part of their body go slack and let their legs do all the hard work.

The town wasn't small per se, there was a considerable amount of people and even a large almost urban distract twenty minutes away from the college, but the main street in town gave off the coziest feeling. The old brick buildings had seen plenty of young, dumb students and they'd probably see many more. Children raced through the groups of adults to get into the nearby candy shop all while squealing in delight. Adults either sat on benches, happily chatting about the day, or popping out of stores carrying several bags full to the brim with clothes, jewelry, and other fancy new trinkets. Six-Q was so enamored by the bustling town life they didn't notice the looks people were giving both them and Riley. But Riley certainly did, as she death glared in the direction of anyone who dared look at the pair.

"C'mon, it's just down this block," Riley said, finally loosening her grip on Six-Q.

"But I need to get home, I have homework!" Six-Q pleaded.

It was a fruitless effort since Riley just shook her head. "You only live once, Q. You can't let things like homework and responsibility drag you down all the time."

"Is that why you needed to copy off all my notes and tests?"

"Silence those hands, mutey."

Six-Q silently celebrated their victory as the two turned the corner, nearly bumping into both a streetlamp and a couple. The man glared at them only to get flustered as Riley batted her eyelashes sweetly. As the couple disappeared around the corner, Six-Q heard the man's girlfriend chide him in a shrill voice. Riley seemed to get a kick out of that as she snorted loudly.

The sun was lazily setting behind a cluster of wispy clouds. Its glowing oranges and reds were shifting into blue and purple hues. Stores were having to turn on their lights to let passerby’s know they were still open. Six-Q felt a chilly breeze pass over them. They were left to wonder how Riley managed to stay warm while wearing only a crop top that showed her middle (which proudly held a shiny belly button ring) and jean shorts with tights under them. She wasn't even wearing socks.

Note to self: ask her if it's magic or simply not giving a darn!

"We're here!" Riley announced, jolting Six-Q back to their senses.

It was some type of shop dedicated to various popular clothing brands. Nike, Adidas, Levi's, Prada, and Lululemon were just some of the few brands that dressed the mannequins and shoe racks in the front window. Six-Q didn't even get a chance to look at the name before they were dragged into the store. A bell rang as the glass metal-framed door swung open.

"Oooh, Miranda~!" Riley called out in a singsong voice. "Guess who it is!"

A brunette woman wearing a black turtleneck stepped out into the open, hidden behind a rack of pants. She squealed in delight and rushed over to hug the equally excited Riley.

"Oh my stars, Riley, I haven't seen you in, like, forever!" the girl, Miranda said, after letting Riley go from their shared bear-hug. "What's happening in the life of the coolest witch I know."

"Ah, nothing much. Got kicked out of class today and my boyfriend fucking cheated on me." Riley said. Their voice was bitter at the end. Miranda gasped in surprise.

"Really? With who?"

"Sarah."

"Sarah McLaughlin?! Isn't she-"

"One of my exes, yep."

Miranda's eye grew to the size of dinner plates. "I can't believe it. And she was just in my store yesterday! I swear, if she comes back I'm going to give her a piece of my mind."

Riley casually waved her right hand, as if the brush away the idea. "Don't. A hussy like her doesn't deserve your time. Besides, it happened over a week ago. I'm over it."

Six-Q blinked. It was only two days ago Six-Q had to walk to Riley's duplex to comfort the drunken witch, who was having a complete emotional breakdown over the breakup. They didn't question how an underage girl like her even got two bottles of tequila (probably from one of her sketchy drinking buddies), just sat there in her bathroom rubbing circles on her back and holding her hair as Riley both sobbed and vomited into the toilet. They decided that they weren't going to embarrass her by sharing such a personal experience. Miranda's eyes trailed up to Six-Q. She ogled him for a few seconds before breaking out into a grin.

"Oh my, hello~. Are you the new boyfriend?"

Six-Q cringed. But because the idea of being romantically involved with Riley was a terrible thing, but the fact the clearly oblivious woman used the term "boyfriend".

Can I be gendered correctly for once?

Riley instantly came to their defense. "Actually, Six-Q uses they/them pronouns and they're nonbinary. Also, not my partner. They're too much of a softy to actually deal with my way of flirting."

Six-Q decided they also wouldn't mention the first time Riley and they met it was in Psychology 101 and Riley was trying to seduce them and get their notes. How they managed to become friends after that series of awkward events still confused them to this day.

Miranda's expression from joy to panic. "Oh my Gosh, I'm so so SO sorry! Is there anything I can do to make you feel more comfortable? I'm the store owner so I can gift you some coupons or-"

Six-Q held up their hand and flashed a couple of signs at Riley.

"They said they're fine and that there is no need to worry." Riley noticed the confusion on Miranda's face. "They're mute so they communicate through ASL. They are actually the reason why I learned the language and why I continue to take psychology even though the professor is a piece of shit."

"Mute? Oh, what happen-" Miranda noticed the thread sewn through Six-Q's lips and immediately went quiet. An awkward silence filled the store until Riley spoke up.

"I actually got paid recently and wanted to get some cute new clothes. Got any recommendations?"

Miranda instantly brightened up. "Oh, yes. Here, I know a pair of jeans that would just look amazing on you!"

The store owner pulled the witch away, leaving Six-Q to explore the building on their own. It was a mix of rustic charm and contemporary with the front count and walls being made from real wood while the shelves, racks, and other exhibiting items were something akin to an IKEA display. The lights the dangled from the ceiling were rectangle, adding to the modern feel. The mannequins were posed in ways that felt almost too real for Six-Q. Instead of focusing on the lifeless figurines, Six-Q decided to browse the clearance aisle. They were light on cash so they were hoping to find something in their price range.

You'd have more money if you weren't a coward. A voice hissed in their head. Six-Q frowned but kept searching.

It wasn't their fault that they struggled to hold a job. When all the misgendering, stares, lack of translators, and just judgmental people got to them, Six-Q's automatic next move was to flee. Were they a coward? Yeah, probably. But they suffered through worse so if they were in desperate need of cash, Six-Q could probably ask their friends Rei and Trixie for a position at their job.

Would Marty even want someone like me as one of his... Dancers? Six-Q thought, shivering as he remembered the merman club owner's sharp gaze.

"Hey, Q! Find anything good?"

Six-Q found a pair of pants that were reasonably priced and held them up from Riley to see. She nodded her head, "Nice, dude."

The enby craned their neck to see what their friend had bought. It was several brightly colored shirts, hoodies, and pants, and shorts. If Six-Q could, they would've whistled in both amazement and the fact they were thoroughly impressed.

The Patreon gig must be seriously well.

"Will that be all for today?" Miranda asked in her friendliest customer service voice.

"Yep!" Riley said. Her friend nodded with a smile.

The two paid for their own clothing then stepped outside after saying their goodbyes. The sun had sunk a little lower, but there was still enough daylight where it couldn't be considered night yet. Riley pouted at Six-Q's single bag.

"You only got one thing?"

"I have to save money and I don't have that much anyway," Six-Q said.

"Well, I know some places you can get some nice and cheap clothes!" Riley had all the enthusiasm back in her voice.

"Wait, I-"

Riley silenced them by covering their hands with her own. She started to pull them down the street with an adventurous smile.

"C'mon, Q! While the sun still shines!"

Six-Q had a bad feeling growing in their gut that this would be a long night

-----

Six-Q stumbled out of what was hopefully the last store. Although several bags were in their grasp, most of them were not theirs. They had only purchased two other sets of pants and three graphic t-shirts plus a new makeup pallet, lip gloss, and eyeliner. Riley, however, acted like the old British Empire and sought to claim everything she had touched. From lipstick to perfume to clothes from the latest clothing trend, Riley decided to snatch up everything. Six-Q was worried that her card was going to get declined at some point, but that fear never came to fruition.

The pair started to make their way down the streetlight lit street. The sun had completely set and was replaced with an ethereal half-moon and twinkling stars. Six-Q gazed up worryingly at the sky. They stomped their feet on the ground to get Riley's attention. She looked up from her phone and Six-Q could see she was editing a selfie of herself.

"Yeah?" she said.

Six-Q tried to sign but the bags got in the way. Riley noticed and swiftly took some from them. The enby then asked. "It's late, Riley."

Riley shrugged. "It’s only 8:45. Don't tell me it's past your bedtime."

Six-Q frowned. "I need to finish some homework."

"You can do that later. Besides, aren't you hungry?"

Six-Q cocked their head. "I don't need to eat, remem-"

Riley grinned. "Great, because I'm starving! I know a cafe not too far from here! They have the best eclairs!"

Once again, the pair rushed off down the street. Six-Q's feet were beginning to hurt from all this running.

It can't possibly get anyway worse than this.

The cafe, as Riley promised, was not far at all as it was just around the corner. It was an unassuming little shop with it literally being a corner store. Riley was the first one inside leaving Six-Q to scramble behind her. The interior design wasn't something to rave home about. Common fake wood circular tables and chairs were stationed on one side of the cafe with the display case filled with all types of wonderful desserts and the cashier on the other. The cashier clearly was a young girl, probably sixteen at the most, and looked incredibly bored in her green apron and white shirt. It was the customers in front of the counter that got Six-Q concerned.

One was a brown-haired young man with brown hair and eyes who was digging through his wallet not paying attention to the people around him. He wore a dress shirt and pants along with a tie, clearly showing he was someone vaguely important. The man next to him worried Six-Q the most. It was a curly-haired ginger man whose hair basically covered his barely visible emerald green eyes. He wore a gaudy black shirt and black pants. A star with neon stripes coming off it was placed in the center of the shirt and had several multi-colored sparkles coming off it. Six-Q wanted to leave but Riley was the one to get the first words out. "Jesus fucking Christ why are you here?"

Both men turned around. The first one seemed surprised to see the blue-haired witch while the ginger one was both excited and mesmerized.

"Really? Is that the magnificent Riley and-" he screamed and pointed at Six-Q, "THE DEMON!"

Six-Q winced at the sudden noise while the well-dressed man groaned. "Tobias, please. We're in public."

"It’s Tobi and he's gonna hurt Riley!" Tobi whined, trying to put up a tough demeanor.

Six-Q wanted to snap. Can't someone gender me just this once?!

Riley was quick to snap back. "Please, don't even try that Alpha Male shit at me, Tobi. I've seen you cry for hours over that stupid robot show."

Tobi gasped loudly. "Star Pilots of Galactia is not stupid!"

"Also, the 80s called? They want their fucking rancid shit back." Riley continued.

"I'm on break from work, casually getting a donut with my cousin who just got off a shift from his lame job, and now I'm stuck between a seductress and a demon! Riley, you need to get away from him! He's dangerous!" Tobi cried, pointing at Six-Q. They could feel hot rage bubbling in their chest.

"It’s they, you waste of oxygen and witch talent!" Riley snarled, taking a step forward.

"You're a powerful and beautiful witch, my dear! Can't you feel his negativity?"

"I swear upon ALL the Gods if you compliment me or insult my friend again I'll snap your fucking neck."

"Oh yeah! Well, why don't I just summon some plants and-"

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" a feminine voice shouted.

Six-Q, Riley, and Tobi turned to the cashier who nervously shook her head. Then they turned to the only other person in the room. The cousin looked completely stunned with his head hung low. His hand was clutched around his throat. Six-Q noticed his entire body was quivering. Tobi took a few steps forward, clearly considered. "Hey, Rowan, are you."

"Tobias, get in the car." He responded. His voice was ice cold.

"But-"

"Now!"

Tobi stammered for a bit then rushed out of the building. Rowan pulled out a twenty and slammed it on the table. "Keep the change." He didn't even look at Six-Q or Riley as he stepped out into the night. Six-Q felt a shiver run down his spine.

"C-Can I he-help you?" the cashier nervously asked.

"Yeah... Yeah, you can." Riley finally answered.

Riley ordered her Caffe mocha and some type of cake and éclair. Six-Q just followed them out of the store without saying anything. The two walked in silence for a long time. The streets were almost completely empty except for a few stragglers who were hanging around bars and small diners. Six-Q pulled out their phone pocket to check the time. 9:01. They exhaled out of their nose then tapped Riley on the shoulder. She must have been deep in thought because she jumped at the touch.

"Sorry." Six-Q apologized.

"I-Its fine just..." she sighed. "Look, I know Rowan more than you do. He's sensitive about his voice because he's... You know... Transitioning. Just, don't mention it to people, okay?"

Six-Q frowned. "Do you think that lowly of me?"

"Of course not!" Riley countered. "I just know how people are and... Listen, my relationship with Tobi and Tobi himself fucking sucks but I don't want Rowan to get in the crossfire, okay?"

The enby college student just nodded. They didn't want to get into Riley's messy relationship history any more than they had to.

"Listen, I think it's time I head home," Six-Q said, just wanting this night to end.

"Sure, sure. Hey, I'll walk with you to-" Riley then remembered who Six-Q shared an apartment with and scowled. "Never mind, I need to get home too."

Six-Q wasn't going to argue. They just handed over Riley's shopping bags, waved goodbye, then set out on their own.

The walk home took twenty minutes but Six-Q wasn't too concerned. The neighborhood they lived in was relatively safe with only a few minor incidents. They also weren't scared about being mugged. If they learned anything from growing up around people like Tobi they all feared Six-Q's unnatural eye color. They liked to imagine a scenario where someone tried to threaten them or their friends and all they had to do to become the hero is to flash their eyes like Medusa. They let out a happy snort. They barely had any muscle mass so fantasies like that one were the only way they could be strong.

You know that's not true, kid.

Quiet, you.

Six-Q finally made it to their old brick apartment and entered. They noticed the landlord was not tending to the front lobby area. They figured the elderly woman had to be asleep so just went over to the mail slots to see if they had mail. They opened their compartment and only a letter from a company they never heard of was there. Slowly, Six-Q crept up the creaky stairs while tearing open the letter. They climbed another flight then finally made it to their apartment. The moment they stepped in, Six-Q tossed the letter. It was talking about they owned money after the recent car wreck they got in. Six-Q didn't even own a car.

The décor in the apartment would've scared most people away. There was a giant picture of a naked woman that Six-Q’s roommate took plus several punk art pieces that showed violence and people flipping each other off. The skull of a deer hung over the blood-red couch. The flat-screen TV'S stand had chokers, knives, rings, gemstones, and other oddities scattered on the top and on the shelves. The item Six-Q was most proud of was the red rug with black skulls that laid beneath the coffee table was sewn by Six-Q themselves. Six-Q passed through the living room and ignored the mostly brown and white kitchen. Although most people would've been turned away by the vulgarity and creepiness, Six-Q and their roommate embraced it. Six-Q thought it was better than most scarcely decorated modern buildings.

Speaking of scarcely decorated, Six-Q entered their small, barely decorated bedroom. The twin-sized bed only had standard black sheets with a nearby bedside table only containing a lamp and a clock. The nearby desk in the corner only held notebooks, textbooks, a sewing machine, and a laptop; also a lamp rested on the top of the desk along with a box Six-Q knew that contained makeup. Six-Q got to work put their new clothes into their antique wardrobe and setting their backpack beside their bed. The rational part of the student knew they should start working on homework, but after all the running around and high emotions, Six-Q just wanted to nap.

They leapt onto their bed, only kicking off their shoes after they landed. They nestled under the covers and quickly fell asleep. However, it only felt like a few minutes before they heard muffled swearing and someone struggling to open the door. Six-Q knew it wasn't an intruder, just their roommate. Judging by how hard they were struggling, they must be had a bad night at the club.

I must tell them how much I wish I could have their patience.

After stretching and cracking their neck, Six-Q slid out of bed. They winced at how cold the floor was and left the room. They got excited when they heard the door finally open. They speed-walked down the hall, ready to greet one of their closest friends on roommates. Before they could, they immediately stop dead in their tracks.

Rei de la Mora, Six-Q's roommate, was wearing nothing but a red and gold sea-themed bikini that was twice below her size and a pair of red stilettos. As they hung up her coat, Six-Q watched in horror as one of the cups holding up her rather large breasts started to slip. Before anything else could happen, Six-Q started to slam their hand against the wall. Rei jumped, causing her chest to bounce but, luckily, the bikini continued to do its job. Six-Q was sweating uncontrollably. This entire situation felt wrong.

Rei, meanwhile, simply adjust the bikini top and bottom. Then, they casually raised up a hand. "Sup. How was your day."

That sent Six-Q throwing themselves back against the wall. Their spine painfully was the body part that first made contact, leading them to fall on their hands and knees. They heard Rei shout something, but they half scrambled, half crawled their way back to their room, and locked the door. Six-Q was panting heavily. While Six-Q respected Rei's work, it still felt wrong to see her like that. Then the knocking started.

"Goddamn it, Six, not again! You've seen me in much worse!"

Six-Q backed away from the door. Rei has both the power of a werewolf and natural body strength on her side. If she wanted, she could kick that door down.

Six-Q rushed over to their desk, ripped open a notebook, quickly wrote something down, then tore out the piece of paper. They slid it under the door and awaited Rei's response.

They heard Rei sigh. "For Christ's sake, Six, it's just a bikini. Besides, you're not a perv like all those other weirdos."

Once again, Six-Q wrote a note and slid it under the door. Once again, Rei sighed, "Fine, alright, I'll change. Happy?"

The enby student happily slid another piece of paper on the door. Six-Q listened the Rei's footsteps grow farther and farther away and sighed in relief. They remembered their homework needed to be completed. Six-Q went to work while they waited for their friend to change. It didn't take long as Rei didn't hesitate to start banging on their door.

"Come on out, purist. I'm decent."

Six-Q slipped their work back into the bag then slung it over their shoulder. They opened the door and saw Rei wearing a tight-fitting punk band t-shirt and black sweatpants.

"Better, Lord of Woman's Purity," Rei smirked.

"It's not like that," Six-Q explained. "I just feel like… We shouldn't be that open with each other yet."

"You act like we're dating and, I should remind you, I'm a lesbian." Rei ruffled Six-Q's hair. "Hey, you promised we'd watch To Catch A Killer together. And don't use homework as an excuse, you can do it while we watch."

Rei didn't drag Six-Q into the living room but had the authoritative aura to make Six-Q follow anyway. The two sat on the couch, Six-Q sitting cross-legged while answering the question of how the brain's thoughts influence feelings and how do people interpret other feelings and emotions and the social cues that follow and Rei with her feet on the coffee table. The pair were quiet for the most part, only the TV and Six-Q's light pencil scratching. It was Rei who finally spoke up.

"So, you didn't come back after school. What happened?"

Six-Q set their pencil down. Riley and Rei were the definitions of bitter exes, they needed to be careful not to mention her name. "I decided to go shopping. Got some new pants and shirts plus some new makeup. You can help me practice eyeliner like we've been talking about.".

Rei didn't stop the TV, just gave their roommate a sideways glance. "You went shopping?"

Six-Q cocked their head. "Is that a problem?"

"Six, I was the one that had to convince you to buy new clothes. Twice. You suddenly decided to go on an hours-long shopping trip by yourself is… Weird."

"Well, I finally took your words to heart and-"

"It was Riley, wasn't it?" Rei interrupted.

Six-Q flinched as if they were just slapped. Rei's voice was cold, just like Rowan's was. Oh God, they were going to have to explain what happened at the café. Six-Q started to explain but Rei raised their hand.

"No, it's fine. It's alright. I don't care," Rei said, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself then talk to Six-Q. "So, anything… Big happen."

Six-Q explained to Rei what happened at the café, excluding the part about Rowan. She ground her teeth together in a snarl. "Goddamn it, Six, why don't you let me kick that stoner's ass."

"Because you'll get arrested and fired," Six-Q replied.

"Nah, Marty and Hydna would bail me out and Marty can't fire me. I'm his dancer because of these-" she flexed her muscles, "-and these." She lifted her breasts with her hands. Six-Q nearly fell off the couch in shock. Rei grabbed them just before they fell. "Will you calm down, you big baby."

The two shared a smile before Rei frowned. "Can I share something with you, Six?"

Six-Q nodded, giving Rei the okay to speak. "I know you like Riley and that she is one of your closest friends, but you saw how she treated me and you see how she treats others." Rei rested a hand on their friend's shoulder. "Just… Be careful, okay?"

Six-Q nodded once again. Rei held her gaze for a few moments then let her hand fall to their side. "Finish your homework. I don't want you failing college."

The two sat in silence, watching Mike Arntfield solve cold cases and catch the bad guy, all while Rei's words rang through Six-Q's head.

I'm always careful

Yeah, right

I wasn't talking to you and I don't want to talk to you.

Six-Q's head was silent and that worried them.

#oc #ocs #original characters #original content #original story #transphobia tw #misgendering tw #transgender #lgbtqiia+

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