Cute (Oomukade short)

Originally posted 10/02/19 (Wed) 03:16:35

>Together with my friends at a bar after some dinner and beers
>Alex, Sam, Brad, Sidney, Kate and myself
>We’ve each had a third shot
>Kate’s three sheets to the wind, and Alex isn’t far behind
>Sidney swishes her fourth shot around in her glass
>”I wanna break in ta that one house.”
>Waitress ignores us and takes away the empty glasses
>Sam leans into the tomboy’s shoulder
>”Yeah? Like a test of guts or something?”
>Alex blows alcohol scented raspberries at us while resting his head against his upper arm
>”Naaahhh…. gott-hic-a be younger fer tha…”
>His face rolls into the table
“And there he goes. Those two lightweights always bring down the night.”
>Sidney downs her fourth shot of some sort of bad whiskey, wincing as it goes down
>”Yeah.”
>She slaps Alex’s head, laughing as he jumps up
>"IMMNOT SLEEPING!"
>Brad pulls him down into his seat
>"Quit making a fuckin scene."
>Finally I get the courage to ask after downing my own shot
"Kay, I'll bite. Which house Sid?"
>Brad slides his fourth shot to Sid
>"She must be thinking of that haunted one by the river."
>Sid nods with a grin
"Oh. That one."
>There's an old house near the outskirts of town that's barely visible from the road
>It's maybe a mile walk from the bar, doable, even with our inebriated states
>I remember two tire tracks made of dirt circle through the forest of brush that blocks most of the view from the road
"You know someone goes there, since there's tire tracks."
>Alex swallows
>"Dunno if I wanna go."
"Isn't it weird though? The tire tracks there never go away, even in the snow."
>Sidney nods
>"And no one's ever seen a car there."
>Alex is our resident scaredy cat, and everybody always messes with him about it
>Brad chimes in
>"And on real quiet nights, I've heard that you can hear the lonely soul inside, crying for company."
>Almost got him…
>Alex swallows hard and asks
>"W-what's inside?"
>Sid leans across the table and whispers
>"The rumor goes that inside the attic there's a little ghost girl waiting for her brave savior to open it…"
>She looks at me, then Brad, then a grinning Sam, and lastly at Alex
>Alex swallows again
>"T-then w-what?"
>Sid shouts at the same time Brad grabs Alex
>"SHE SWALLOWS YA WHOLE!"
>Alex jumps out of Brad's claw-like grip, and slams into an empty spot at the bar
>The rest of us burst out laughing - minus the drunk and asleep Kate
>Bartender gives us all the stink eye for causing a ruckus in the bar
>Well, it is really late, maybe even late enough for last call
>The waitress steps behind the bar and chats with the bartender
>I turn my focus back to the table
"So, are we going to try it?"
>Sidney waves the waitress over
>"I'm game. Hey Darla, can we get the bill?"
>Darla, our waitress shakes her head and drops off our tab
>"That place is cursed you know."
"It's just an abandoned house. Nothing to be afraid of."
>Darla shrugs and leaves
>Of course there's also a rumor that a murderer lived there and cut up his victims inside
>It doesn't really matter
>If Sidney's going, Brad and Sam'll go
>Alex is just going to be dragged along for the ride
>Thankfully Kate lives next door
>Sam, Brad, and I carry her over, Sidney unlocks the door
>We lay Kate down on her front rug and roll her up in it, then put her and the rug onto the sofa
>We all look at each other and shrug
>At some point this event became normal
>Lock Kate's door and start walking towards that house
>An eerie crescent moon hangs low in the sky
>Alex is cowering behind us all
>"I don't think we should do it…"
"I'll knock first, or ring a doorbell then."
>Brad snorts
>"Cause that way we'll let the ghost know we're coming in!"
>Alex looks more frightened than before
>"S-so, ghosts…"
>Sam wraps an arm around him, whispering stupid stories to him as we go
>We're sobering up a little by now
>As we start to head down to the house, a fog starts creeping up
>The "driveway", if you can call it that, is right in front of us
>With the hazy yellow crescent moon overhead, and a cold waist-high fog in front of us, I ask the question
"Everyone still onboard with this?"
>Brad and Sam shrug, then look at Sidney, while Alex cowers
"Sid? Looks like it's your call."
>I don't think I've seen her hesitate like this before
>"Let's go. I said I wanna break in."
>Alex worms out from under Sam's arm and runs back the way we came
>That seems to set Sid's resolve, and she resumes leading the way
>Pull out a pocket LED light to help guide us to the dilapidated front porch
>We do a quick rock-paper-scissors match
>All rock except the idiot that through scissors
>Oh, that's me
>Grab the giant door knocker and pound it three times
>The heavy door creaks open on the third hit
>My flashlight flickers, and I shake it briefly, bringing it back
>The others turn on their phone flashlights
"It's sad that the phone flashlight is better… What the hell?
>The front room takes up half of the house
>But that's not what is freaky
>It looks like some kind of old pristine Victorian age interior
>Wardrobes, china cabinets, a long sofa, some old and seemingly unused chairs...
>Strange patterned wallpaper, boarded up and blacked out windows...
>Sidney whispers,
>"Did you hear that?"
>We freeze
>A faint clicking seems to come from above us and the door shuts behind us with a slam
>Sam jumps, and drops his phone, "H-hey guys… I'm uh… I'm gonna go home. Something isn't right here…"
>I turn to lift the latch on the door, but it just clicks
"Guys? The latch isn't working."
>Brad pushes me out of the way and pulls on the antique handle
>Once again, the latch clicks, but doesn’t budge
>He pulls harder at it
>”W-what did you do Anon?”
"Nothing, I swear."
>”SHIT…”
>We all look towards Sam
>Sam fumbles with his phone and points the flashlight all around, looking at the ceiling and chandelier
>"I think something touched me guys…”
>There’s that clicking noise again, coming from deeper inside
>Brad starts trying to shake the latch on the door
>Sid calms down and whispers
>”Hey, uh… did anyone else see…?”
>She points the flashlight on her phone towards the staircase on the right
>”Something moved over there…”
>Then we hear the crying
>Faint, barely audible sobs
>It makes my skin crawl
“H-hey…. Maybe there’s a backdoor?”
>Brad kicks the door and pulls as hard as he can, ”Yeah… not getting through there.”
>Sidney swallows and slowly walks down the center hallway
>”Come on, let’s just get out of here.”
>The floor creaks loudly, and the sobbing seems to get louder
>We follow her into a pristine dining room, with another Victorian chandelier
>Sidney edges her way around the room, peeking out into the kitchen with her flashlight
>”Uh… guys? I think someone’s still living here.”
>There are paintings all over the room
>One of them catches my eye - a nearly finished nighttime painting of a stone bridge across a countryside river, with a town in the background
>It’s beautiful, yet also somehow seems harsh
>Canvasses and paint supplies everywhere, with a lingering scent of paint thinner
>”Get. Out.”
>Cue the creepy girl’s voice coming from behind us
>The others seem frozen
>I turn around and see a mop of hair hanging from the ceiling in the dark
>YepOkayNope
>Ceiling crawling horror movie flashbacks come to mind
>Stumble backwards a few steps
“Uh… front door won’t open… Sorry.”
>”GET. OUT.”
>We all make a mad dash to the kitchen door
>Clicking noises follow a step behind us
>ThankGodIt’sUnlocked
>Door shuts behind us
>We take off running back around the house
>All the way through the eerie fog and into the pale moonlight
>We run panting back into the bar parking lot
>Sam drops to his knees
>”What…. The …. Fuck…”
>Sidney is one of the quickest to recover
>Not really a surprise since she’s /fit/ as fuck
>”Can we all agree to not say a word about this?”
>All of us nod in unison
“Agreed.”

>A few days later, I’m still thinking about it
>It turns out that Alex wanted to get back at us, so he wedged stick into the latch after slamming it closed
>Locking us inside gave us a taste of our own medicine
>Then there’s the girl inside
>Creepy as she was, she definitely saw my face
>It was too dark for me to see hers, but I know she could see mine
>Maybe she’s one of those monsters or demi-humans
>Then again, a bunch of them have quite the bad reputation
>Public indecency, rape… I think one of them showed up in the news for assaulting someone with 40 cream pies
>I get out of work one night - fuck afternoon shift - and drive down towards that house
>The moon’s high overhead
>Which phase is the waxing and which one’s the waning gibbous again?
>Waning’s the one after the full moon, so… waxing… probably?
>It’s almost a full moon anyways
>Drive down the tire tracks that make up the “driveway”
>Get out at the front door and see the stick still lodged in the handle
>Pull it out and accidentally scuff the door
“Shit…”
>Reach up to the door knocker
>Take a deep breath in and knock
“Hello? Uh… I’d like to apolo-”
>The door creaks open an inch, and a single eye peeks out
>”It’s you again…”
>Her voice doesn’t seem as harsh as before
>I mean, we did come in uninvited and you know, we broke in… that probably has something to do with it
>I clear my throat and she moves a little further inside
“Yeah, uh… Sorry about before. We… I don’t really have an excuse for us breaking in. We were drunk, but…”
>The door shuts
“Okay then, I’ll just…”
>I turn around to leave
>She says through the door
>”Wait.”
>I turn back around and look at the door, expecting it to be open a crack again
“Y-yeah?”
>”Can you come back and talk?”
“Oh, uh… yeah. Through the door?”
>I can hear clicking through the door and wall
>”Y-yeah. I’m… No, it’s… complicated. Are… People sleep now, right?”
“Some people yeah.”
>Silence
“But not me. I work afternoons.”
>There’s a few clicks resonating through the door
>”Afternoons? W-what do you do? Nevermind, I don’t know you and you don’t know me…”
“I do inventory management. I talk on the phone a lot and put in orders to shift product from one warehouse to a company or wherever.”
>”Sounds scary.”
>I snort
“Nah, it’s not bad. I think the people at sales have it worse, meeting with the clients face to face, but most of my job is behind a computer.”
>”O-oh…”
>Some really lovely awkward silence right here
“I really am sorry about breaking in. My friends and I were drunk… it’s not really an excuse, but we’re idiots and we’re all sorry about it.”
>”I… was really scared. I don’t get company, and…. I tried to… you know, say something.”
>I hear her take a deep breath in
>”Then you all starting shining lights that hurt my eyes, and I hid because I was scared.”
“I’m really sorry about it. Is there some way I can make it up to you?”
>”M-make… it up? I mean…. If… if it’s not a problem…”
“Go for it. I get out of work anytime from 7 to 11pm usually.”
>”Could… can… I’d like to talk like this again…”
“Just talk through the door?”
>”N-nevermind, it’s a stupid idea.”
“We can do it tomorrow night if you want.”
>I hear her take a sharp breath in
>I can also hear rapid clicking on the walls
“Hello? Are you still there miss?”
>”Ah, uh… tomorrow. Tomorrow is good…”
>The rapid clicking seems to worm its way around the door
“Good. S-so, I saw some of your paintings-”
>”THEY’RE NOT DONE.”
>Her clicking stops immediately
“Sorry for looking at an unfinished masterpiece.”
>”I’ll get rid of them…”
“Woah, hey. Don’t waste them like that. You made them, right?”
>”Y-yeah…”
“I thought they were pretty good. There was that one with a bridge that looked really pretty.”
>”R-really?”
"My name's Anon, by the way. I don't know if I said that yet."
>"H-hi A-anon…."
>More awkward silence
"So-"
>She blurts out loudly from behind the door
>"I'M AKEMI!"
>I can hear more of that rhythmic clicking through the wall
>I lean my back against it
"Good to meet you Akemi."
>The clicking on the other side of the wall accelerates
"You okay over there?"
>"Y-yeah. I...just don't... know anybody. I'm not… a people person."
"That's fine, you know? And now you know somebody too!"
>The clicking slows down a little
>"Uh… S-so what do people do outside? F-FOR FUN… I mean, what do you do for fun?"
"Well, once a week I get together with the idiots that broke into your place, other than that not much. I play some video games too when I have time."
>"Video… games? I didn't know there were games on videos."
"They're not actually videos, they're games that you can play on the TV or computer."
>"OH! I have a computer! That's how I order my groceries and sell paintings!"
"Well, there are games that you can play on the computer, and some of them are really immersive."
>"I… maybe we can play a game together…. I have a few board games and cards- I MEAN, IF YOU WANT... I'm… I think I need to go calm down."
"Sure, I'll play. And depending on how old your computer is, I might have some single player games on disc to share."
>The clicking quickly circles up the wall, and stops at the door
>I hear the door open a crack
>"A-anon?"
>I push myself off of the wall, and into view of the tiny crack in the door
"Yeah? What's up?"
>I can't quite see into the dark room, but I'm pretty sure she has antenna
>"I… I have to go calm down…"
"Sorry for getting you so worked up. If you-"
>"NO. I mean… I can't keep talking tonight… I'm sorry..."
>Is she crying?...
"Akemi, you don't have to be sorry. It's late, and if you're not used to talking to people, this has got to be a lot to handle."
>I can hear the loud clicking clear as day coming through the tiny crack in the door
"So, did you still want to pick up this conversation tomorrow night?"
>The door creaks open a tiny bit more
>She's got a hoodie on, and her long wavy hair flows out near her mouth
>I’m kind of taken aback at her - unlike the horror movie ceiling crawler scene like when I first saw her, this is far better… and prettier
>Oh, she does have antenna… and she really was crying
"Akemi, why didn't you tell me you were crying?"
>She ignores my question, and wipes her eyes
>"Y-you'll come back?"
"Yeah. You don't need to cry-"
>The door slams in my face
>"I'M SORRY. PLEASE…. I WANT TO TALK AGAIN, BUT I… I don't…. Just… please come tomorrow…"
"Don't worry, I'll head over after work."
>I can hear the clicking through the door
"Have a good night!"
>"T-thank you… AND-and you... have a good night too."
"I will, thank you."

>Before going to work the next day, I put a lawn chair in my car, so that I could sit on her porch
>The next day work goes smoothly, and I'm able to get out just a little after 7
>Drive my way to Akemi's house
>The sun's slowly dipping down towards the horizon
>Reach up to knock on the door, jumping when it opens in front of me
"H-hey Akemi, you startled me there."
>Once again she's staring at me through the crack in the door
>"I… wasn't sure if you were coming…"
"I said that I'd come over after work."
>She grabs the mess of hair coming out of her hoodie and covers up her smile
"T-thank you."
>She slams the door in my face
>Looks like that might be a recurring thing
"I'm going to grab a chair from my car, so I can sit."
>"You… you're not mad at me?"
>I laugh
"Nah, you're fine. Just don't let me get you so worked up that you start crying. I don't want to make a pretty girl cry."
>I bring out the chair and put it next to the door
>A couple minutes pass in silence
"Akemi? Are you still there?"
>I hear a faint reply
>"Y-yeah… just… I feel happy, and I know that when I get excited m-my legs make an annoying sound. Just like last night."
"I don't remember an annoying sound last night. Were you excited then too?"
>"Of course I was! Couldn't you hear it? I couldn't sit still, and I was climbing all over the wall…"
>She must be talking about the clicking
"If you're talking about the clicking I could hear, that didn't bother me at all. I thought it had a nice rhythm."
>There's a small thud on the wall, and instantly I can hear the clicking again
>"This isn't annoying?"
"No? Just be yourself."
>"R-really…?"
"Yeah."
>The clicking circles the wall and quiets down
>A couple moments pass in silence
>The door opens again and I look at her hoodie framed face
>She swallows and opens the door a little more, "Hi."
>I wave
"Hello Akemi, how are you doing today?"
>She reaches up and pulls the hood tighter, tightening its grasp of her hair
>"Nervous…"
>And I can hear the clicking coming from behind her
>"A-and excited."
"Well, I think you're doing good! You've almost got the door completely open, and in fact…
>I reach out my hand towards her
"I'm Anon. It's nice to meet you."

>She makes an oddly cute noise and slowly reaches out
>Her small, delicate hand gently grips mine and gives it a small shake
>"N-nice to meet you…"
>It's at this point that my stomach decides to growl like some sort of wild animal, making her take a step back
"Sorry, I didn't eat after getting out today, so I'm kind of hungry."
>She chuckles
>"I didn't expect your stomach to be that loud…"
"If it's okay with you, can I run and grab something? I can pick you up something as well."
>The clicking starts again, and she backs further into the house
>"Uh...umm…. I… haven't...eaten yet either…"
"Alright! So what sounds good?"
>She shrinks down a bit
"Umm, do you want fast food? Or something a little healthier?"
>"I don't know… I'm sorry…"
"Do you like Chinese food, or pizza?"
>She backs up into the dark
>"I make all of my food, and before that my mom and dad made everything… I… don't know what food is out there."
"That's impressive. Umm… okay, do you like spicy things?"
>She steps forward
>"Yeah…"
"How about rice and soup?"
>"I like rice…but it's a little bland by itself…"
>I smile and take out my phone
"I'll order pick up from the Thai place. Are you allergic to anything?"
>She shakes her head
"Would you like steak, chicken, or pork?"
>She wiggles back into the house a little, "Uh… I, don't.. I don't know. I'll make myself something here. Don't worry about food for me."
>I call up the place, and the usual guy answers at the other end
>"Somchai diner. Pick up or delivery?"
"Pickup. I need a dinner order of pork gang kheaw warn, a bowl of the house soup with two cups, a dinner order of steak pad prik, and lastly, can I get a side order of almond chicken?"
>He confirms the total, "$36.73. Pickup time 20 minutes. Thank you Anon."
>I may love their food a bit too much, then again they do have caller ID
>Hang up, set an alarm for 15 minutes from now, then  smile at her
"Alright, I'll take off and pick up our food in 15 minutes. I got a variety, so there's a few different things for you to try."
>She covers her mouth with her hair
"And hopefully you like something! If not, we'll know that you don't like Thai food!"
>She fidgets and I hear the telltale clicking inside from when she gets nervous
"So where did we leave off?"
>"Umm…"
>She quickly backs up into the shadows
"Is there something wrong?"
>"I'm sorry…."
"You didn't do anything wrong, and in not sure what you're trying to apologize for."
>"I mean… you spent a lot just for one meal… and just for me to try something."
I shrug, "Well, it's fine. Besides, if you don't like it, it isn't like any of it will go to waste. I like their entire menu."
>She slowly clicks back into view, "A-are you sure? I can make something for myself..."
"I'm sure. Plus we can broaden your palate a little! Maybe try some other foods next time!"
>There's a small burst of clicking that radiates through the door
>She covers her mouth with her mop of hair
>"You… you'll come back again?"
"Sure! Unless you don't want me to come back."
>"I DO… I do want you to come back. I… feel better when I can talk to someone. And… you aren't really hard to talk to..."
"Then did you want to start that board game?"
>She quickly disappears into the dark her many feet clicking behind her, "Yeah! Just…. I'm sorry…"
>I chuckle
>I see a lamp turn on inside, illuminating her long centipede-like body
>She looks my way, "A-are you going to come in and play? You can keep your shoes on, just in case I didn't clean the floor good enough."
>I get up and step inside, making her chitin feet click either in excitement or nervousness on the floor
"I didn't know how we were going to play when I was seated out on the porch. Thank you for inviting me inside."
>She apologizes again, "I'm sorry… You probably… don't  want to see what I look like. And I tried to clean up the living room, but it's still dirty… I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry about! You're fine, and your house is ten times cleaner than my apartment!"
>She fidgets and covers her mouth again, while her centipede legs click rhythmically against the hardwood floor
>"T... thank you…"
>Cute
>She turns around and puts a few old boxes onto the table beside her
>"Did you want to play snakes and ladders? O-or, I have checkers, and Sorry…"
>My inner child immediately takes over
"Snakes and ladders sounds like fun! I haven't played it in ages!"
>She quickly opens up the first worn box and sets up the board on a small table
>We start spinning and moving along
>I get the feeling that she doesn't want to talk, so we just spin and move
>She lands on a ladder and I compliment her spin
"Good spin. A few more like that and you'll beat me!"
>She smiles and half-covers her mouth, "T-thanks…"
>I hit the first snake, and slide back down to the first row
>"I-it looks like you have some bad luck."
I smile, "I'll make my comeback; don't you worry!"
>Apparently, I really do have bad luck
>I every time I hit a ladder, I end up hitting the next snake and dropping back down
>My alarm goes off
>She jumps and skitters back, "EEP!"
I quickly silence it, "Ah, sorry. It's just the alarm on my phone. I'm going to go grab the food and be right back."
>She nods shakily, "O-okay. I… I didn't expect… your alarm scared me."
"Sorry. I probably should have put it on vibrate. Let's finish this when I get back."
>Drive out and pick up the food - making it back in less than 10 minutes

>She opens the door as soon as I pull in the driveway
>I go inside, and she's moved the lamp to the table on the other side of the room
>She has plates, silverware, and cloth napkins all set up
>She gestures to the only chair at the table
>"Here… I… I'm sorry there isn't more room."
I sit everything on the table, "This is perfect! We can have a little buffet!"
>She sniffs the food, and her feet click excitedly behind her
>She sniffs each one closely, "This… no, I-uh, maybe…"
"Does it smell good?"
>She snaps out of her food induced trance, "Uh, y-yeah."
>She points at the closed soup container, "What's in that?"
I pour a cup of soup for her and myself, "Hot and sour soup! It sounds weird, but it's awesome."
>I open each of the boxes and show her them
"This is the green curry with pork, this one is the pepper steak, and that's almond chicken."
>She points to the remaining two boxes, "And those?"
I hand her one, "Rice! You can't have Asian food without rice! And that one's yours."
>Her stomach rumbles and she covers her mouth with her hair in embarrassment again
>"Sorry… this all smells so good. Can… I mean, is it okay if I eat?"
"That's what it's here for! To start, I'm going to take some green curry and mix it in with my rice."
>She watches me closely, then mimics me, "I just… haven't had this before, so I want to eat it right."
"There's no wrong way to eat it; I just find that when you mix things with the rice it just adds to the meal."
>"O-oh…"
>She mixes hers up and waits for me to take a bite of mine
>I smile and dig in
>She pulls her hood down for the first time, and moves her long wavy black hair out of the way
>Wow… okay, that's like one of those magic high-school nerd girl to the hot girl transitions
>Luckily she's more fixated on the food than on me staring at her between bites
>Akemi scoops up a forkful of the green curry and rice, then nibbles a tiny bit off of it
>She covers her mouth as she starts smiling
>"Oh wow…"
>My mouth drops open, and I catch myself before I speak my mind
>Cute...
>Resume eating, but damn if I'm not distracted
>She looks at the other two containers
>"H-hey Anon?"
"Mffmph?"
>She giggles, and it makes my stomach flutter
>Really cute...
>"Uh, can I try one of the other dishes?"
>I nod and start on my soup
>She mixes some pepper steak with her rice and quickly takes a bite
>Her feet start clicking rhythmically against the floor
I say sarcastically, "I knew it, the food's terrible!"
>She stomps half of her feet down at once in a resounding clack
>She keeps her eyes fixed on her food, "NO! I.. I mean, I don't think I've ever had anything this tasty before."
>After a couple moments, she resumes taking small bites from her fork
>The way she eats and, well everything about her is just...
"Cute."
>Her face flushes and her feet rapidly click on the floor
>Oh crap I said it aloud
>She turns away from me, "U-wa...wha-are... I'm…"
>And I may have broken her brain a little
"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking, and I just said what popped into my head.."
>She pulls her hair around to cover her mouth
>"I… I think I need to go to calm down."
"I can step outside if you need a minute. Just let me grab a bit more food."
>She nods and lets me add some pepper steak to my rice
>Take it with me and head outside to sit beside the door
>She quickly shuts the door behind me
>"I'm sorry…"
"It's okay. It's my fault."
>"C-can… Err, would you… mind waiting?"
"Gladly.”
>I finish my food and lean back, watching the night get darker
>It’s really peaceful here
>I play around on my phone for awhile, occasionally looking up at the darkening sky
>It's been almost forty-five minutes since I've-
>"A-anon?"
"Hmm? Yes?"
>I can immediately hear her feet clicking
>"I-i've calmed down… sort of calmed down…"
"I'm glad. Did you want me to stick around?"
>"YES. I-I mean, I'm sorry for making you go outside."
"I'm really sorry for that. I didn't mean to upset you, and I understand if you don't want me to come back."
>The door creaks open, "NO. Uh-You didn't… I'm… uh…"
I turn towards the door, "Are you sure you're okay?"
>She's got her hood up again and shys away from the open door, "I… I'm not sure."
I smile, "Well, the food was good, right?"
>"The food was… really good. It's just… I wanted to make it up to you, b-but I only know how to do one thing…"
>She shuffles nervously, "A-and if you… if you don't like it, I'll try harder. I didn't have a whole lot of time… Just…"
I stand up, "You didn't have to do anything."
>"But… I wanted to do something. And if you don't like it, you don't have… I mean, it's…"
>She backs away further while holding something behind her back
"Relax. If it's too much right now, you can give it to me tomorrow."
>She shuffles a few steps forwards, "You'll come back?"
I nod, "Yeah, as long as you still want to hang out."
>She brushes her hair out of her eyes and her feet start clicking rhythmically against her hardwood floor
>"C-can I give it to you tomorrow then? I'll make it better."
"Sure. Just so you know, I'll probably be getting out of work around 9 tomorrow night. Is it okay if I come over then?"
>"Yes… 9 is good."
>I can see her smile and blush
>My eyes lock with her sky-blue irises before she slams the door in my face
>"I'M SORRY!  I... I have to...go. It feels like all of my hearts are going to explode. I'm so sorry... "
"Are you going to be alright? Do I need to call an ambulance?"
>"NO! I mean… I-I'll be okay. It's… going to take a long time."
>Her feet click a little slower, "You can go home…"
"You're sure? When I come back tomorrow night, you'll be okay?"
>"Y-yeah."
"That response has me a little worried. You're sure you'll be okay?"
>She clears her throat, "I'll be fine Anon. And, uh… thank you for the food tonight."
"Thank you for the company Akemi. And maybe tomorrow we can finish up that game?"
>"Yes… please."

>Next day I get close to 10pm  thanks to some dingbats who don’t know how to fill out forms
>Extra headache and stress from something that should’ve taken an extra thirty seconds to fill out properly now took about an hour
>Head over to Akemi’s house
>We’re due to get a thunderstorm tonight, and the rain’s already beginning
>Hop out of my car and quickly get under the porch
I knock on her door, “Akemi? Sorry I’m late. Some crap came up at work.”
>There’s a loud thud inside, and I can hear rapid clicking coming closer to the door
>”A-anon? Is that you?”
“Yeah. Sorry for running late. I had to clear up someone’s mess from the early shift.”
>The door opens wide, and she’s wearing a paint covered blue hoodie
>With her hood down, I can already tell that her hair looks different
>The way it hangs from her head just seems to frame her face
>Cute...
>The only source of light inside is the same lamp from yesterday
>Her cheeks are wet with tears, “I… I thought… that... “
>She sniffles and she covers her mouth with her hands
I lean towards her, “Akemi, are-”
>A loud flash arcs above the house, and an explosive roll of thunder makes me jump
>Akemi cries out and pulls me inside, “NONOO!”
>She slams the door shut with her centipede abdomen and hugs me tight
>I can feel her heart racing - well, the heart in her human torso at least
I ask her nervously, “Akemi? Are you okay?”
>Her eyes are shut tight and she shakes her head
>Another muffled crack of thunder makes her whimper and she shuffles backwards towards the hallway, carrying me as she goes
“Talk to me Akemi, what’s going on?”
>”I’m s-scared of thunder.”
>She crawls back a little and clings to my shirt at arm's length, hanging her head in front of me
“Everyone has-”
>”I-I know it’s…”
>A rumble cuts her off and she grips my shirt tighter
“So let’s take your mi-”
>”IT’S PATHETIC…I’m… pathetic....”
>I reach out and pat her head, slowly stroking her soft hair and watching her antennae curl a little
>”W-whu….”
>She sniffles and steps towards me, keeping my retreating hand under her head
“You’re fine. So what, you’re scared of thunder…”
>Another loud crack of thunder causes her hands to shake
>She’s still clinging to my shirt, “W-why…I can’t…”
>She lowers herself down, so that her head is level with my chest
>I hesitantly wrap my free hand around her shoulder and gently pull her into a hug
>Her hands quickly reciprocate the hug, and a feel a dampness in my shirt
>So cute...
>I manage to resist the urge to say it aloud
>I don’t think she could take it right now
I stroke her head as we hug, “It’s okay. The thunder can’t hurt us. We’ll be fine.”
>She sniffles, “W-why are you so nice?”
“It’s just who I am.”
>With every stroke of her head, her antenna curl a little, and I can feel her breathing slow down, even with the rumbling still going on outside
>I breathe in and can smell a mixture of paint, soap, and something else...
>Maybe perfume?
>Crap, now I’m a creeper for thinking that she smells good
>She clings tighter to me during a particularly loud crack
“You know? Your hair looks different than yesterday.”
>She releases her hug and slowly looks up at me
>Cute…
>”Oh, yeah. I…wanted to change it… Does it look okay?”
I nod, “Yeah, it looks good.”
>Her hands reach up and grip my shirt again while she looks down, “D-does… Does it… is it pretty?”
>Cute……..
“Well, of course.”
>Crap, I said it without thinking
>”Eh?”
>She looks up at me, instantly forgetting the thunder rolling in the background
>Her antennae curl, and her feet click rhythmically against the floor
>”W-uh-you….me-wha…”
“Are you okay?”
>A small smile forms on her face as she nods
>She hides her face in my shirt, briefly letting go to wipe her eyes
>”I didn’t… I’m not pretty though…”
“You kind of are though.”
>She looks back up at me with wide eyes and a blushing face
>I brush the few strands of loose hair out of her eyes
“Are you okay now?”
>She wraps her arms completely around me and hugs me tight
>”Is… is it okay… can… Can you hold me until the thunder stops?”
I stroke her head, “Sure.”
>”If you want, you-no… we can sit on the couch…”
>She points at the sofa next to the blacked out window
>I smile and guide us both over
>She awkwardly climbs over the side of the couch to keep hugging me
>To be honest, it looks really uncomfortable
“Hey, that looks like it’s going to hurt your back.”
>”She shrugs and breaks eye contact with me, “W-well… But, you’ll be comfortable.”
“How about I sit on the floor, and you can rest your head on my chest.”
>She looks up at me with wide eyes and that smile
>Her antennae curl
>So fricken cute….
“And if you’re worried about it being uncomfortable, we can move the cushions to the floor.”
>”O-okay.”
>We move the cushions to the floor, and I recline a bit on them, while she hesitates
>”A-are… are you sure this is okay?”
>A particularly loud flash of lighting and an even louder crack of thunder causes her to jump
>Not like a little jump - her whole body jumps two feet off of the floor and lands back down with a clack
>She quickly scurries into my open arms, resting her head on my chest with a whimper
>”Ah-I’m… I’m sorry…”
I wrap my arm around her, “There’s nothing to be sorry about. Everything’s going to be fine.”
>She looks up at me fearfully, ”B-buh-”
>I instead start stroking her head as she starts talking, cutting her comments off as she calms down
>I can feel the heat of her body in contrast to the cool air
>And I can feel her steady heartbeat pounding in time with mine
>It just feels… soothing...happy? All around good.
>”H-hey Anon.”
“Hmm?”
>She looks up at me, her curled antennae brushing against my cheek
>Cute… no. She’s better than just cute. Beautiful.
>”Sorry about that. Uh…”
“Don’t worry about it.”
>”Oh… okay. I just… this is going to sound weird, but… no nevermind.”
“Go ahead. I’m not going to make fun of you for thinking things.
>She shakes her head, “No…”
I stroke between her antennae, “Well then I’ll mention the weird thing on my mind. I felt your heart beating in time with mine-”
>She pushes off of me, “Y-you did?”
“Yeah, and now that I think about what I’m actually going to say, it makes me sound like a creep.”
>She tightly grips my shirt and pulls me up, “No. Say it.”
>This is by far the most aggressive I’ve ever seen
“Cute.”
>She immediately drops me back onto the cushions and covers her mouth
“Oof… Ah crap. Sorry for making this weirder than-”
>She shakes her head, “No. I’ll say mine. I could feel your heart beating in time with mine, and it made me feel… happy.”
“Me too. Soothing and happy.”
>She tightly hugs me
>”I don’t want to let you go.”
>I wrap my arms back around her
>A loud crack of thunder rattles the house, and the solitary lamp goes out
>After the rumbling subsides, I say over the sound of rain falling onto the roof
“I don’t want to let you go either.”
>The thunder continues in the background
>But neither of us really notice

>Wake up feeling really good
>I feel Akemi’s warm body stirring on my arm
>My alarm hasn’t gone off yet, so I can still sleep in
>Take a deep breath in and feel the pressure of someone pushing a little bit against my side
>”Mmm…”
“Morning Akemi.”
>Akemi shrieks and jumps off of me, scurrying off into the dark somewhere
>”Oh gods what have I…”
“Akemi? I can’t see anything. Are you okay?”
>”YES. I’m yes… I mean, I’m good. Are… what about you?”
>I feel around, kind of disappointed that the perfect balance of warmth and coolness isn’t lying beside me anymore
“I’m good. Really good, thank you.”
>Her feet are clicking all across the room
>She must be pacing back and forth
>”I’m so sorry… I made you spend the night here, and I-”
“If I wanted to get up, I could’ve. It just felt better sleeping with you than sleeping alone.”
>”Jus-..Wait, what?”
“Hmm?”
>”Did you… like sleeping here?”
“Yeah. It was really comfortable.”
>”Even with me lying on top of you?”
“You’re the reason why it was comfortable. Your perfume is really nice too... So, would you want to go out?”
>”W-what? I don’t want to go outside. It’s… bright and…wide open. And I don’t wear perfume.”
“I mean, we’re doing the relationship thing sort of backwards. I mean, usually the guy asks the girl out, then they have a meal together-”
>”Anon? W-what are you asking?”
“Like going out. I mean, like a boyfriend and girlfriend thing.”
>I immediately get slammed back into the cushions, “I’m never going to let you go.”
I wrap my arms around her, “Let’s just stay here for awhile..”
>She nuzzles into my chest, ”Thank you Anon...”