#overthinking is what got him walking around in jesus cosplay

[seedofjoseph]

me: Don't overthink it. Don't overthink it. Don't overthink-

also me: Joseph Seed has a tattoo of his late wife, his Faith, on his right forearm and a scar that reads Wrath, the sin with which the Junior Deputy is identified throughout the game, on his left.

[lumiolivier]

Chapter Thirteen:  Meet Me on the High Dive

Word count:  5502

Chapter No. 13/36

Notes:  It’s been a while since I last posted any of my NaNo project.  Last week, I had a perfectly good reason for that.  I decided to write some Royai instead.  I’m sure the MCs would be able to forgive me for that.  But all that aside, I do have some pretty in depth analysis of Black Butler in this chapter.  And a little of some feelings on Shou Tucker.  So, new chapter?  Shall we?

Chapter Twelve:  The Birth of Russell

Home sweet home.  I got out of Julian’s car and kicked my black ballet flats off at the door.  I couldn’t believe he was actually coming over.  I didn’t understand why he had me so nervous.  It was just Julian.  The just as weird as me otaku with an amazing cosplay collection and really pretty eyes…and a warm, loving personality…and a body that just won’t quit…

 Dammit!  It was happening, wasn’t it?  I wanted to stand on my rooftop and scream obscenities at the top of my lungs.  Fuck…That son of a bitch was making me fall in love with him, wasn’t he?  Relax, Mimi.  You’re overthinking things here.  Let’s go over the specs, shall we?  I didn’t want him hurt.  I didn’t like when other girls flirted with him.  And he was just…so…fucking…charming!  Hold on.

 Why was I so angry? It had been two years since my last boyfriend.  And he dumped me over my pillowcase.  Julian had one of those pillowcases and no room to judge.  I saw it with my own two eyes.  Didn’t realize how slightly unsettling that was until I was on the other side of it.  But he understood me.  he got me in a way that no one else had ever gotten me before.  Julian was sweet and weird and maybe, just maybe, he loved me, too. When we were laying together this morning, something about it felt right.  Like when I had the dream with Rin and Haru and I was cuddled up with Rin. Like it was something bigger.

 I was.  I was falling in love with Julian.  And there was no shame in that.  Now, it was only a matter of how I was going to tell him.  Or if I was even going to tell him.  I liked having him around.  And we work together.  I didn’t want to scare him off.  Definitely didn’t want things to be weird between us.  In that case, I guess I’ll just keep it to myself then.

 “Hi, Julian,” Mom sang at the front door, “How are you, sweetheart?”

 “Hi, Marilyn,” Julian greeted her, “Mimi left a case at my house and I thought I’d be a nice guy and bring it back to her.”

 “Aren’t you sweet,” Mom awed, “Mimi!”

 “Yeah?” I sat at the top of the stairs.

 “Julian’s here!” she called up to me, “Are you busy tonight, honey?”

 “I don’t think I have anything going on,” Julian thought it over, “Why?”

 “You should stay for dinner tonight,” Mom insisted, “I promise my cooking isn’t deadly.”

 “Really?” he gasped a little overdramatically, like he didn’t see that coming.  And the performance kept on coming, “No.  I couldn’t impose like that.  I should get back to my unpacking.  Alone.  And my ramen noodles.”

 “No,” Mom put her foot down as I got to the bottom of the stairs, “I’m not going to let that happen. You’re staying for dinner whether you like it or not.  I can’t, in good conscience, let you go back to your house to be by yourself.”

 “Fine,” Julian caved, “I guess you twisted my arm.  I can stick around.”

 “Wonderful!” Mom smiled, “Dinner should be done in about fifteen minutes.”

 “I’m sure we can wait,” he charmed, “Something tells me it’ll be worth it.”

 “Oh, stop,” she giggled.

 “Come on,” I put a stop to this, my makeup case in hand, “Mom, we’ll be upstairs.”

 “Keep your door open,” Mom went back into the kitchen while Julian and I went to my bedroom.  More so out of spite than anything else, I shut my door.  I’m pretty sure we weren’t going to be naked any time soon.

 “So, this is your Batcave,” Julian jumped around, “What?  Is Sebastian out with the young lord this evening?”

 “Fuck off,” I rolled my eyes, giggling under my breath, “But yes.  This is my otaku dungeon.  Although, in just under thirty minutes, it transforms into a normal girl’s bedroom.”

 “And you know this for a fact?”

 “Unfortunately,” I sighed out, “Anytime we have people over.  My wall scrolls come down first.  Then, my figurines.  Then, a curtain goes over my bookshelves.  Then, I put a regular pillowcase on my body pillow and we’re golden.”

 “Ouch,” Julian pulled me down, “Why would anyone want to do that?”

 “So I don’t come off as the weird recluse,” I explained, “When I was younger, my dad would have some of his business contacts over and I had to play my part as his perfect, little angel.”

 “You poor, poor thing,” Julian empathized, “I guess I lucked out on that.”

 “What do you mean?”

 “Well,” he began, “My mom’s an artist.  I got my first taste of otakuhood when I was six.  She and I watched Spirited Away together.”

 “Cutting your teeth on Ghibli movies?” I awed, “I’m jealous.”

 “We didn’t have much for TV,” he went on, “We had movies.  We had DVDs.  That was about it.”

 “No cable?”

 “Mom thought it was unnecessary,” Julian continued, “So, we didn’t have cable.  She encouraged me to draw a lot, though.  I have a whole sketchbook of nothing but old school tattoos. You know, your anchors, your pin-ups, your skulls.  Shit like that.”

 “I’d love to see that,” I rested my head on his shoulder.

 “Speaking of things I’d love to see,” he had been darting glances at my closet door since he walked in, “I have a hard time believing you fit all your cosplays in your teeny tiny closet.”

 “Go ahead,” I allowed, “Open it.”

 “Please tell me there’s a little bit of an organizational system to it,” Julian kept his fingers crossed, pulling the doors open, “Oh, sweet baby Jesus…”

 “Only by series,” I grinned, “Other than that, good luck.”

 “You’re killing me, Mimi,” he wept, “But you did all of these yourself?”

 “Yeah,” I nodded, “They’re all mine.”

 “And they’ve never seen a con?” Julian gasped, thumbing through my inventory, “It’s a travesty. They need to get out and breath fresh air.  Oh, hello…”

 “What’d you find?” my stomach knotted up almost instantly.  Not all of my cosplays were exactly PG.

 “Nothing,” he flashed a dirty smirk, “I spy with my little eye a green bunny girl.”

 “That’s my Ruff Rabbit,” I cleared up, “That’s my Usagimodoki in Allmate form only to be done as a kawaii bunny girl.”

 “That’s pretty kawaii alright,” Julian agreed, “Looks like something I’d see at a place I used to frequent when I was living in St. Louis with some gentlemen friends of mine.”

 “I’m not a stripper,” I rolled my eyes.

 “Nylons or fishnets?”

 “Fishnets…”

 “At least an escort then?” he assumed.

 “Shut up,” I snapped at him, “Get the hell out of my closet.”

 “But I’m not done yet,” Julian pouted.

 “That’s too bad,” I demanded, “Either you go through them like a respectable human being or you get out.”

 “Fine,” he stopped, continuing his search through my closet, “Hey!  I found Misa Misa!”

 “Dammit,” I grumbled to myself.

 “What?” Julian smiled, “I bet you make an adorable Misa.”

 “I hate her so much,” I tried my damnedest to hold myself together.

 “But Misa Misa-”

 “Julian, I will punch you.”

 “At least I can defend myself,” he chirped, “Let’s see.  Would I want to fight you with the Death Note?  Maybe Edward’s staff?  A little flame alchemy?  Or…”

 “Or what?” I worried as Julian fell silent.

 “Maybe,” he pulled out a big, light pink, Victorian looking dress from my closet, “I could just summon my demon butler.  What do you think?  Pink my color?”

 “No,” I started settling down a little, realizing how much of a dork this asshole was, “Put Lady Ciel back.”

 “You think crossdressing runs in the Phantomhive family?” Julian asked, “One day, for a case, Vincent put one of Rachel’s dresses on and felt different?”

 “I don’t know,” I giggled.

 “You know when Druitt’s judging the curry contest in season one,” he recalled, “And he’s talking about all the beautiful women he’s met over the years?”

 “Yeah.  What about it?”

 “There was a woman in that mess,” Julian jumped back on my bed, “She was in a very beautiful royal blue dress, black hair, same kind of corkscrew pigtails Ciel had.”

 “Point, Julian,” I pushed him along, “What about her?”

 “That particular shade of blue looked really familiar,” he pulled up a screencap on his phone, “Like the blue in Ciel’s ring.  How much do you want to bet that this woman is Vincent?”

 “No way,” I shoved him, inspecting the picture a little closer.

 “The pigtails had to have been lying around somewhere in the manor,” Julian defended, “Sebastian may be one hell of a butler, but I’m sure there wasn’t a wig shop open that late. And with him being busy giving the young master all those treacherous lessons and we all remember the infamous corset scene.”

 “That’s not…” I took Julian’s phone from him, “That’s not Vincent.”

 “Look at the face shape,” he zoomed it in, “Looks an awful lot like Sebastian, doesn’t it?  Who else do we know that looks an awful lot like Sebastian?”

 “Vincent…”

 “I rest my case,” Julian slipped his phone back in his pocket, “That woman was no woman, but in fact, Vincent Phantomhive.  Crossdressing runs in the Phantomhive family.  Case closed.  Score one for the boys back home!”

 “And apparently those boys occasionally look like girls to get their information,” I chuckled, “You think Vincent and Sebastian are the same person?”

 “Really?” he gave me a look, “You subscribe to that theory?”

 “I’m just saying,” I grabbed a volume of manga off my bookshelf and flipped to a page with Vincent Phantomhive’s pretty face on it, “This is Vincent.  And if we go to this page, this is Sebastian.  Look at them, Julian.  They’re pretty damn similar.”

 “Maybe that’s just a mistake the artist made while drawing them,” Julian brushed me off, “Sebastian isn’t Vincent in demon form.  Although, I do think that Sebastian took on a form similar to Vincent because he wanted Ciel to be able to trust him, but not exactly, so it wouldn’t cause his young master anymore pain.  Who better than his own father?”

 “Valid point,” I nodded, “But I still think he’s just a demon form of Vincent.”

 “You’re a stubborn little girl, aren’t you?”

 “I can be a whole hell of a lot worse,” I bit my lip, “Usually when I’m running on pure spite.”

 “I don’t see you much as one for spite,” Julian went back into my closet, “One for…”

 Julian went silent. That couldn’t be a good sign.

“What?” I asked, terrified about what he found now.

 “Mother of God,” he took out a long, low cut black dress, “Lust?”

 “Yes,” I cringed as someone lit a flame under my cheeks, “Out of the homunculi, she’s my favorite.”

 “Mine, too,” Julian agreed, “Mostly for the same reason Havoc liked her.”

 “More of a boob man than an ass man?” I assumed.

 “Big time,” he blushed, “But she’s still an amazing character.  Wasn’t too fond of the way she skewered the colonel, though.”

 “Neither was Hawkeye,” I remembered, “I know.  I’ve seen all of Brotherhood.  Probably a dozen times.”

 “Quick,” Julian asked, “Original series or Brotherhood?”

 “Brotherhood, hands down,” I picked, “I loved the manga.  I loved the way everything worked out in the end.  Hiromu Arakawa is my queen and I love her.  Not saying the original series didn’t have its merits. I’m glad it prolonged Shou Tucker’s misery.”

 “How dare you speak his name?” he scolded, “How dare you speak Shou Tucker’s name so calmly?  The only one in the entire series, despite everything the homunculi did, to ever burn in hell in the memoriam section? After everything that son of a bitch did, he deserved a very slow, very painful death of every torture imaginable. What kind of sick fucker could do that to his daughter?”

 “He could,” I wrapped my arms around Julian’s waist, “I know.  Saying he’s an asshole is an understatement.”

 “I only cried while watching an anime twice,” Julian confessed, “And they were both Fullmetal Alchemist related.”

 “Tucker and Hughes,” I guessed.

 “Oh yeah,” he nodded, “And it’s not bad enough I read it in the manga.  Then, the manga gets an anime.  And then!  That anime gets a reboot!  AND I HAVE TO SEE IT UNFOLD THREE TIMES OVER!”

 “Julian,” I held him a little closer, “I understand.  I know how tumultuous our life can be.  And I understand better than anyone else in this house.  Hell, in this town!  They’re not just characters to us.  They almost become like another family to us.  Especially when the outside world isn’t as kind to us as they are.  They teach us things that no one else ever will and in a way that no one else ever will.  But the best thing we can do for them is to move on.  We find a new series to tear us apart emotionally.  But the love we carry for the others is what keeps us strong.  And we’ll always have that.”

 “Wow, Mimi,” Julian wiped his eyes, “That was beautiful.”

 “I’m a writer, sweetie,” I reminded him, “I do this on a regular basis.  If I can’t be a little eloquent from time to time, what kind of writer would I be?”

 “Are you a demon, too?” he wondered.

 “Nope,” I assured, “Simply one hell of a writer.”

 Julian reciprocated my hug tenfold, “Thank you.  The floodgates were about to bust open and some hella tragic childhood memories were about to come spilling out of my mouth.  You didn’t need to see that.”

 “Hey,” I curled into his ribs, “How do you fare with tragic backstories?”

 “Pretty well most of the time,” he admitted, “Why?”

 “You might want some emotional support the next time you watch Dramatical Murder,” I cringed, “The boys’ backstories can get pretty rough.  Koujaku’s hurts.  Noiz’s put me in a mini coma for about three hours after watching it.  Mink’s is rough.  Clear…Don’t even get me started with that little angel that deserves all the love in the world.”

 “Mimi!” Mom called up the stairs, “Dinner’s done!”

 “Ready to get this unpleasantness out of the way?” I asked.

 “Yep,” Julian opened his inside jacket pocket, revealing a bottle nestled in it, “You did tell me to bring the Fireball.”

 “Bless you,” I took a good, heavy drink from the bottle, feeling the warmth down to my toes.

 “Cheers,” he toasted, doing the same.

 The two of us ran downstairs to find my mother’s cooking on the dining room table.  Mom had been busy.  If there was one thing in this world worth living for, it was my mom’s chicken and dumplings.  If everyone had this in their lives, there would be no war.  There would be no famine.  Everyone would love each other and the planets would go into perfect alignment.  Yes. They’re that good.

 “Julian,” Dad chimed, sitting at the table with us, “When did you get here?”

 “A little while ago,” he told, “Mimi left a case at my house.  I brought it back to her.”

 “A gentleman and a scholar,” Dad praised.

 “Gentleman, always,” Julian agreed, “Scholar?  Only a semester.”

 “What’d you go to school for, Julian?” Mom asked, giving him a plate.

 “I was a psychology major,” he explained, “Halfway through the semester, I realized it wasn’t for me and my minor would’ve been stupid to get a degree in unless I planned on becoming a professor, so I left.  Started traveling a lot.”

 “Where’d you go?” Dad wondered.

 “Mostly just around the US,” Julian went on, “Around the east coast.  Quick stop in Canada.”

 “I wish we could do more traveling,” Mom sighed out, “Just think of all the places we have yet to see.”

 “Maybe once you move out, Mimi,” Dad jabbed.

 “Thanks, Dad,” I grumbled, “I appreciate that.”

 “Think about it,” he went on, making me squirm a little.  Dad was good for that sort of thing.  He didn’t realize he was doing it, but he was definitely doing it, “We won’t have another mouth to feed.  We’ll have more money laying around.  Maybe we can start putting it in a jar and finally take a trip out of the country.”

 “Again,” I cringed, “Thanks, Dad.”

 “I’m just saying,” he dropped it.  And Julian grabbed my hand under the table.

 As soon as we were done eating, he and I went right back upstairs again, shutting the door behind us, regardless of what my mother had said.  It wasn’t the first time we were left alone.  I’m pretty sure we knew to keep our hands above the covers. Besides, they were right downstairs. I didn’t know about him, but I could make a lot of noise.

 “Well,” Julian threw himself on my bed, “That was excruciating.”

 “You’re telling me,” I followed suit, “You still got that bottle of Fireball?”

 “Hasn’t gone anywhere,” he tossed it to me, “You got anything to mix with that?”

 “Don’t want anything to mix it with,” I did a quick shot, “I love them to death.  You know that, right?”

 “I know,” he nodded, “I get it.  My dad’s kind of the same way.”

 I never heard Julian talk about his dad.  Always his mom, but never his dad.  I figured that may have been a touchy subject.  Maybe it was best that I didn’t bring it up.  But my curiosity got the better of me, “What do you mean?”

 “My mom’s the artist,” Julian reminded, “My dad?  He’s the doctor.  He’s the reason why I went into psychiatrics.”

 “Your dad’s a shrink,” I assumed.

 “He liked to poke the bear just to see what happened.  And guess who he liked to use as his personal bear?” I could see the hurt in Julian’s eyes. And it broke my heart, “Yeah. That wasn’t a bit traumatic.  Little kid with a spastic personality misdiagnosed with ADHD pumped full of experimental behavioral meds?  Who hasn’t had that?  That’s why Mom and I ended up in St. Louis.  She was taking in commissions wherever she could get them, yet managed to find time for me.”

 Now, I understood why Shou Tucker hurt him more than the average person.  Julian and Tucker’s daughter Nina had quite a bit in common (minus the whole being fused with her dog thing).  And seeing Julian like this was absolutely soul crushing.  I couldn’t stand by any longer.  Barely having a buzz, I grabbed Julian’s hand and my car keys off the hook, “Come on.”

 “Where are we going?” he wondered.

 “You’ll see,” I dragged him downstairs, “Mom!  We’ll be right back!”

 “Where are you going?” she asked.

 “Park!” I yelled back, “Shouldn’t be gone more than a few hours.”

 “Ok!”

 “We’re really going to the park?” Julian gave me a look, getting into the passenger seat.

 “We’re making a pit stop first,” I backed out of my driveway and started toward this little ice cream shop downtown.  Ironically called the Pit Stop.  I had been going here since I could remember and needed to eat my feelings.

 “Ice cream?” he assumed.

 “That’s right,” I confirmed, grabbing the door.

 “Hiya, princess!” the old man that ran it greeted me, Sal.  I loved Sal.  And Sal adored me, “You’re just in time!  I was about to close up.  What can I get for you?”

 “Double scoop of rocky road for me,” I ordered, looking Julian over, “And a double scoop mint chocolate chip for him?”

 “That works,” Julian approved.

 “Got it,” Sal got two plastic containers and scooped our flavors into their respective container, “So, how’ve you been, Mimi?  I feel like I haven’t seen you in an age.”

 “I’m always working, Sal,” I smiled, “You know that.”

 “Jeffrey still giving you a hard time?”

 “When isn’t he?” I chuckled nervously.

 “Rumor has it he actually hired on a new guy,” Sal looked around for lids.

 “In all technicality,” I corrected, “I hired on a new guy.  He was new in town and needed a job.”

 “I am that new guy,” Julian chimed in.

 “Welcome to Lenexa, new guy,” Sal shook his hand, “Sal Griffin.”

 “Julian Cooke,” he introduced himself, “But if…Hold on, did you say Griffin?”

 “Yep,” he chirped, “Jeffrey’s my little brother.”

 “My condolences,” Julian joked, “But if he asks, my name is Russell.”

 “Why the sudden name change?” Sal wondered, “You on the run or something?  I won’t let my little angel get tangled up with a bad influence, new guy.”

 “No,” he assured, “I’m not on the run.  I’m not a bad influence.  It’s more for my own personal safety.  I’ve been sniffed out by a group of soccer moms and they’re savage.”

 “I know exactly who you’re talking about,” Sal empathized, “My condolences.”

 “Thank you.”

 “So, this is the new boyfriend then, Mimi?” he asked innocently.

 “No,” I shook my head, hoping the wind would help with the heat I my face, “He’s just a friend at this point.”

 “I’m sorry,” Sal apologized, “You two seemed awfully chummy.”

 “Because we’re the best of friends,” Julian covered for us.

 “That’s nice,” he smiled, “Tell you what, princess.  On the house. You caught me at closing time. Nobody has to know about this.”

 “Fess up, Sal,” I teased, “It’s not because it’s closing time.  It’s because I’m your favorite.”

 “Don’t tell anyone else,” Sal winked, “You, too, Julian.  This is a one-time thing.”

 “I won’t,” Julian promised.

 “Come in and see me soon, ok?” Sal gave me the biggest hug and a kiss on top of my head.  And they were always the best.

 “I will,” I vowed, “We should be going, though.”

 “Go on,” he nudged me, “Get out of here.  You have better places to be on a Friday night.”

 “Bye, Sal!” I waved behind us.

 “Bye, Mimi!” he waved back, “Nice meeting you, Julian.”

 “You, too!” Julian and I left the Pit Stop with our ice cream and got back in my car, “Hell of a guy, isn’t he?”

 “Sal?” I assumed, “Yeah. He’s a sweetheart.  If I had to pick between working for Sal or working for his brother, I’d pick Sal every day of the week.  But he’s never hiring.  It’s just him.  He works some long hours for what he’s got.  And the thing is, he basically opened the Pit Stop out of spite.”

 “Really?” Julian giggled, “What made him spiteful?”

 “Griffin had opened up the café,” I explained, “He said it was going to be the best in town and he was going to have the most popular place the Lenexa’s ever seen.  So, Sal, being the wily old man he is, opened up the Pit Stop just down the road, trying to outdo his smug little brother.”

 “I like him a little more now,” he beamed.  There it was. That was what I was looking for. I didn’t want to see Julian so down and Sal had a mystical power over people.  And if all else failed, ice cream made the world a better place anyway.

 “According to Sal,” I pulled into the park, right by the pool that had already closed for the fall and got out of the car, “They’ve always been that competitive.  Ever since they were kids.  And Sal always came out on top.”

 “So, that’s why the boss has such a god complex,” Julian figured, following me closely, “Um, Mimi…Are we supposed to be here?”

 “Don’t worry,” I settled him, “No one cares.  It’s not like we’re vandalizing or trying to refill the pool.  We’re doing nothing wrong.”

 “Wouldn’t this be considered trespassing, though?”

 “On public property?” I giggled, “You’re adorable.”

 “I know that,” his ego made an appearance, “But what if we get caught?”

“Julian,” I assured, “It’s fine.  I promise. The worst they can do is tell us to leave.”

 “Where are you going?” Julian wondered, taking my ice cream from me.  I started climbing the ladder to the high dive, “Mimi, what the hell are you doing?”

 “Just come on,” I demanded, “Trust me.”

 “How high are you?” he squeaked, “I’m not going up there!”

 “Why?” I asked, halfway up already, “Scared of heights?”

 “It’s not the heights that bother me so much,” Julian worried, “It’s more the possibility of falling that scares the fuck out of me.”

 “I’m not going to let you fall,” I promised, almost at the top, “Come on.  The views are better from up here.”

 “I’m not doubting that,” he questioned my sanity, “But I think I’m going to stay down here.”

 “You can’t,” I pointed out, “You still have my ice cream.”

 “You’re the one that gave it to me in the first place,” he retaliated.

 “Julian,” I shut him up, “Do you trust me?”

 “Yeah…”

 “Then, come up here,” I sat at the top.  

 “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Julian put our ice cream containers in his pockets and started climbing up the ladder, “I swear to God, Mimi, if I fall, I’m suing you.”

 “You’re not going to sue me,” I giggled, “You’re already halfway there and you haven’t fallen.”

 “Don’t remind me.”

 “It’s only twenty feet,” I told.

 “Only, she says,” Julian scoffed under his breath, “And it’s just a ride in an ambulance.  There’s no broken bones or anything.  No head trauma.  No nothing.  Just a teeny little slip.”

 “Julian,” I took his hand, pulling him up the rest of the way, “I promise you.  I’m not going to let you fall.”

 “Swear to me,” he begged, shaking a little, “Swear to me on something that matters more than anything.”

 “Equivalent exchange,” I smiled, “I swear to you on equivalent exchange.  Hell, on the Philosopher’s Stone if that’s what it takes. You’re going to be fine.  Or do I have to swear by the moon, too?”

 “No,” Julian settled down a little, “I think you nailed it at equivalent exchange.  And the fact that you’d go the extra mile and swear on the Philosopher’s Stone, too, means a lot to me.”

 “You’re welcome,” I took my rocky road out of his pocket, “Now, look up.  Best view in town.”

 Julian cranked his neck back, staring into the beautiful, glittering void, “Wow…”

 “I told you,” I stuck my spoon in my mouth, “Aren’t you glad you listened to me now?”

 “Yeah,” he sat back in complete awe, “I’ve never seen such a stunning night sky.”

 “Really?” I wondered, “Never?”

 “Aside from pictures on the internet,” Julian said, “No.  I grew up in the city, Mimi.  This is my first time ever living in a small town.  My mom was a sucker for an industrial loft to work in, so we always lived in the city.  The bigger, the better.  The city lights are great.  Don’t get me wrong.  And they’re beautiful in their own right, but this?  This is immaculate.”

 “Yeah,” I rested my head on his shoulder, “You don’t get this living in a city.  It’s going to be one of those things I’ll miss when I finally leave.”

 “And when do you plan on doing this?” Julian wondered, stealing a bite of my ice cream.

 “I’m thinking May,” I decided, “I’ve lived in Lenexa all my life and never felt like I belonged.  It’ll always be home, but I’ve never fit.  I didn’t care about the shit going on in town. I wasn’t part of a farm family.  I didn’t get into the extra-curriculars too much. I was the weird little girl with the obsession with Japan.  Always have been.”

 “And where do you want to end up?” Julian asked.

 “Ideally?” I sighed out, “I can’t decide between the sunshine or the rain.  LA where I could potentially make a living with my cosplay or Portland where I can be just as much amongst my own kind.”

 “Never been to the west coast,” he admitted, “Sorry I can’t be more of a help.  But think about it this way.  If you went So. Cal., San Diego is right there.  The mother of all cons.  Plus, you got Anaheim and LA and San Francisco.  Then again, if you go Portland, there’s Emerald City in Seattle.”

 “So, you’re saying,” I thought it over, “I should go to LA.”

 “The traffic’s hell,” Julian chuckled a bit, “The people can be artificial.  This is all according to my mom.  She’s been to almost every state.  You need to meet her.  I feel like you two would get along famously.”

 “Then, I think it’s settled,” I chose, “Looks like I’m going to California.”

 “And if you’re looking for a roommate,” he hinted, “I’m hypoallergenic and housebroken.  But I might be watching Transformers at two in the morning with the surround sound on.”

 “I think I’ll just get a dog,” I teased.

 “Borf!” Julian barked.

 “You’re not a dog,” I giggled, “Unless you’re a Pluto situation.”

 “No,” he shook his head, “Because that would make you Angela and fuck her.  I hated her.”

 “I bet you like a good belly scratch, don’t you?” I smirked.

 “I am a good boy…” Julian was a big dork if anything.

 “See?” I took his hand, “You know, this is my favorite spot in town.  I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve been up here in the off season.”

 “Does the high school have a swim team?” Julian asked.

 “No,” I pouted, “And if they did, I’d feel like a pedophile.”

 “You little sinner,” he stole my last marshmallow.  If it were anyone else, he’d be getting pushed.

 “Can I ask you something?” I rested my head on his shoulder.

 “Sure,” Julian pushed my hair out of my face, “Go ahead.”

 “Why do I have to keep my schedule open tomorrow?”

 “Dammit,” he laughed, “I knew that was coming.  I’m not telling you, Mimi.  It’s not happening.  Keep your schedule open.  Let things happen.”

 “Can I have a hint?”

 “No.”

 “But…” I groaned, “I did Misa dumbest bitch in the universe Amane for you!  I did Miku for you!  Yet I ask for a little hint about Saturday and you say no.”

 “Exactly.”

 “You’re a dick,” I rolled my eyes.

 “Come on,” Julian put my empty ice cream container in his jacket pocket, “It’s getting kind of late and we have to work in the morning.”

 “Ok,” I looked at my phone and it was knocking on midnight, “I’ll go first, though.”

 “Does it matter?” Julian wondered.

 “I don’t want you staring up my skirt,” I moved past him.

 “Who says I would be?” he squeaked sounding a little insulted.

 “Tell me you wouldn’t,” I stood on the ladder, “Look me in the eye right now and tell me you wouldn’t.”

 “I wouldn’t be staring,” Julian promised, “I can’t be held accountable for the occasional glance.”

“Right there,” I shoved my finger in his face, “That’s why I go down first.”

 “Says the girl that took her panties off in my living room for absolutely no reason,” he reminded me.

 “I did that to prove a point,” I defended.

 “What was the point?”

 “That you didn’t have to breathe over my bed to steal my panties,” I climbed down, “Also that I have no shame.”

 “I could’ve told you that,” he started down the ladder, “So, what’s to stop you from staring at my ass on the way down?”

 “Myself,” I assured, “I might not have any shame, but I do have a little self-control.”

 “And I don’t?”

 “You said it yourself,” I fought, “You couldn’t be held accountable for the occasional glance.”

 “Yet here you are,” he retaliated, “Holding me accountable.”

 “Julian,” I stopped him, “Just shut up.”

 “We fight like a married couple,” he pointed out, “I hope you know that.”

 “Only a matter of time before we’re fighting over other little things,” I figured, “Bills, the kids, who’s going to do carpool this week.”

 “Sudden change of heart?” Julian asked, “Since when did you start wanting babies?”

 “I don’t,” I clarified, jumping down from the bottom rung, “I’m just saying.  Examples.”

 I wanted to tell him. I wanted to tell him so bad.  I just wanted to tell Julian that he was the only one that was making me even slightly consider the potential of babies. In all honesty, with his bone structure and my eyes, we’d make some beautiful babies.  No.  I had to shake that idea out of my head before it escalated any further.

 I dropped Julian off at his house and went home to bed.  And tonight was the first night in a long series of nights where I wished I wasn’t sleeping with Sebastian.  What kind of Pandora’s box did I open this morning?  More importantly, what was he planning for tomorrow?  That boy had something up his sleeve.  And it involved me somehow.  I’m sure he’s not going to stab and mutilate me, so I have that going for me.  Still, it worried me.  I didn’t know how far Julian would be willing to go for me.