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10:21 PM, A RANDOM FUCKASS PUB YOU FIND IN THE U.K.
“Is it true you were called a whore once by Evil?” Vedal asked, before taking a shot of some banana rum in a shot glass.
Numi, who was absolutely wasted, weakly lifted her head up to look up at the man in the green hoodie sitting there nonchalantly. “Mmm~, I—hic—guess you can say that~,” she said, her lips curving in an odd way.
“That’s… uhh… really sad, honestly,” Vedal stated, tracing his finger on the rim of the empty shot glass. “To be so belittled and beaten down to the point even an AI joins in on the fun.” His gaze was one of confusion as he looked down at the demon girl.
Numi pouted. “S-shut up,” she muttered under her breath, slowly straightening her back and resting her head on her hand, knocking over a bottle accidentally. “A—hic—atleast I’m not a fffuuucking virgin~.” She began twirling her purple hair in her finger.
“Pretty rude,” Vedal coldly replied, pouring himself another shot of banana rum. “Just because I’m a virgin doesn’t mean I can’t pull anybody. I just don’t want to commit to anyone at the moment.”
Putting the bottle down on the table, he lifted the shot glass off the table and pointed at her with his pinky finger. “Also, make sure you watch what you say—aren’t you a virgin yourself?” he said, which was followed by him taking a shot.
Numi’s head then suddenly slammed against the table, which was followed by her sobbing uncontrollably. “YOU DON’T HAVE TO REMIND ME ABOUT THAT!” she shouted, her voice being muffled since her face was planted on the table.
Vedal sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Man, you’re such a fucking loser,” he thought to himself, before turning the other way and looking at the barmaid, who was looking away from them and at the wine rack.
“You want me to buy you another bottle?” he asked Numi, who was still sobbing.
Her crying suddenly halted as silence filled the empty pub. “...Yeah,” she answered, lifting her head off the table once again, a bruise now on her forehead.
Vedal closed his eyes and shook his head. “Sure,” he replied, standing up from the table and towards the weird looking barmaid. “I’ll be right back, then. Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”
He walked through the empty pub and towards the counter. The pub itself had a somewhat rustic vibe with a hint of modernity to it—mixed with wooden furniture and electronics, it was the perfect mix for someone like Vedal who liked to keep things lowkey.
“Excuse me,” he tried to catch the attention of the barmaid as he stood in front of the counter.
Suddenly, a white bushy tail rose up out of shock, causing them to turn around and look at Vedal. “Oh!” she exclaimed, still holding onto the glass she was wiping. “Jeez, it’s just you again.”
The barmaid then cleared her throat, turning her body around to face him entirely. “Yeah? What is it? Still gonna buy something?” she asked with a somewhat dismissive tone.
“Just another wine bottle,” Vedal requested, slipping one of his hands into his turtle-themed hoodie. “Put it on my tab, too.”
The barmaid scoffed. “Frick, dude. How many bottles are you gonna put on your tab?” she asked with worry in her voice, accompanied with a raised eyebrow. “You should be glad you’re a regular here, or else I would have kicked you out by now.”
Turning around and pulling out another wine bottle, she skillfully placed it on the counter with a masterful spin. “Another wine bottle for Mister Vedal!” she announced, a playful grin evident on her face.
As Vedal reached for it and pulled it towards himself, the wine bottle didn’t budge at all as the barmaid held onto it tightly. An unamused expression washed over his face. “What is it now?” he deadpanned.
The barmaid leaned in closer to his ear. “Are you just gonna leave her here once she blacks out?” she paused, giggling to herself. “I never knew you were that kind of person, turtle boy.”
Vedal rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Filian,” he scoffed, before pulling the bottle aggressively away from the doubtful barmaid, freeing it from their grasp. “I’ll obviously bring her home.”
He then began walking away, holding the wine bottle low and carelessly.
“Her home, or yours?”
Filian stated abruptly, causing Vedal to stop in his tracks. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed how she had a confident smirk on her face, and had also begun to wipe the glass she was still holding.
Vedal looked down at the wooden floor, his face laced with doubt and uncertainty. Then, without even a few seconds passing, he turned over his foot and looked at Filian, his gaze sharp.
“Why do you care so much?” Vedal said, before looking forward and continuing his walk back towards the wasted Numi who had once again planted her face on the table.
Filian let out a sigh, before shaking her head and turning back towards the wine rack. “Heh. Whatever you say, Vedal,” she muttered under her breath.
As he walked through the empty bar once again, he drowned himself in his thoughts and doubts—whatever Filian said, it truly made him wonder what his intentions with Numi actually were.
With Numi suddenly wanting to tag along since she was in town for a couple of months thanks to an event that was taking place here, Vedal’s prior plans of drinking alone were suddenly overturned due to her intrusiveness (and sudden message on Discord).
All in all, what Vedal wanted tonight was just a drinking buddy—nothing else. The stress of being a single father to two AI daughters was a toll on both his mental and physical health, and this drinking session would serve as a way to lighten the weight. No matter the case, Vedal was sure he wasn’t going to do anything with Numi.
With a bottle being placed on the table, Numi raised her head once more due to the shaking of the table. “Huh~? Is there a—hic—earthquake?” she asked, her eyes half-closed.
“No, Numi. There is no earthquake,” Vedal reassured, sitting back down on his chair and pulling it closer to the table. Afterwards, he pushed the wine bottle closer to her. “Here’s your new bottle—don’t choke on it.”
Numi grabbed the wine bottle and brought it close to her chest, squeezing it tightly. Now reverting to a gremlin-like behavior, she opened the bottle with absolutely zero effort, before chugging it down like it was water.
Vedal watched her with a slightly amused expression. After that, he began to pour himself another shot of glass. “I assumed you would be a complete lightweight, y’know?” he said, placing the bottle of banana rum back down on the table.
Numi stopped drinking as she brought the wine bottle away from her lips and placed it on the table. “R-really?” she asked, wiping off some of the excess wine off of the side of her lips. “Wh—hic—what made you think that way?”
“Uhh…” Vedal raised the shot glass off the table and held it there for a moment. “After your first few sips of the first wine bottle, you were already drunk off of your mind, but…” he paused, looking towards the four empty bottles scattered on the table. “...well, what I’ve seen speaks for itself.”
Vedal then cleared his throat, covering his mouth with a closed palm. “You honestly impressed me, Numi,” he said, holding the shot glass close to his lips and closing his eyes. “I would like to drink with you more.”
He then took a shot after saying that. Numi, on the other hand, felt a warmth grow on her cheeks. The combined effect of the alcohol in her system and her already sensitive demeanor further adds on to this strange feeling suddenly growing in her chest.
Numi—in her drunken stupor—jolted up from her chair suddenly, hands slammed on the table. “I… I…” she began stuttering, which was met with Vedal’s confused gaze. Her pupils began to spiral and her lips began to quiver. “...P-please excuse me!”
She then jolted towards the bathroom, leaving a trail of dust. Vedal watched as the half-demon, half-human girl ran past him and into the woman’s bathroom. His gaze was plastered on the door as confusion began to eat away at his motor functions. “What the…?”
Behind the door, Numi stood there with her back against the door, her breathing shaky and heavy. She slid down the door and sat on the floor, her knees touching one another as she held onto her face.
She proceeded to place her pinky finger in between her teeth. “W-w-w-w-w-what the fuck?!” she muttered with a breathy voice. “...He… he wants to drink more with me!?”
The blush on her face grew even more hotter. “B-but… I’m… already nearing my… my limits…” she bit down on her pinky as her pupils turned heart-shaped. “What does he plan to do with me?”
She covered her face with both of her hands, the blush now reaching up to her ears. She began to imagine all kinds of scenarios and fantasies, one of which is her being brought to a motel by Vedal for some… after-party activities.
She could almost feel his hot breath on her pale skin, the aggressive way he would hold her down and treat her like he owned her, and how she would repay this aggressive behavior by leaving different kinds of marks on his back, neck, and body as they did whatever the hell they would do.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Numi broke out of her own trance as a knocking noise was heard on the other side of the door.
“You doing fine in there, Numi?” someone asked, worry evident in their voice.
Numi held her hands in front of her face and looked at it. “Oh! V-Vedal! I… I… uhh…” she paused as she could see the saliva on her pinky finger draw a line towards her mouth. Wiping it on her skirt, she stood up and continued. “I… didn’t throw up… or-or anything!”
“...O-okay?” the person on the other side of the door sounded unamused. “Look, if you want to go home, you can just tell me—I can also drop you off since it’s pretty late, too.”
Her eyes widened at what he said. Wasn’t he also drunk? Considering the fact Vedal drank at least two bottles of banana rum through the use of a shot glass, wouldn’t it be risky to drive at that level of sobriety?
A sigh then came from the other side of the door. “Don’t worry. I have a high tolerance to alcohol,” Vedal basically answered her woes unintentionally, brushing his hand through his black hair. “I’m… uhh… not like my other friends who have piss-poor tolerances.”
Silence then suddenly entered the pub, leaving unwanted tension between the two people on each side of this bathroom door.
Vedal squinted his eyes, confused as to what to do. Instead of waiting for a reply, he simply took a step back and scratched the back of his head. “I guess I’ll just… go back to the table then—”
The bathroom door creaked open, causing him to look over his shoulder. Numi peeked her head past the door, her hair falling perfectly into place as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Yes, it was still obvious she was drunk, but she looked more relaxed compared to how panicked she was earlier.
As she slipped out of the bathroom, she held the back of her wrist behind her back, a curved smile forming on her face as she looked at the man in front of her looking nonchalant as always. “Did… did I make you wait long?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.
Vedal squinted his eyes once more. “Uh… no,” he said blankly, before turning over his heel. “Anyways… What do you wanna do? Wanna finish the drinks before we leave?” He gestured towards their table, which still had their bottles on it—both empty and filled.
Numi, albeit wobbly, nodded her head. “Mhm~.” She then walked past Vedal and towards the table.
Vedal followed her with his gaze, somewhat perplexed as to why she was acting this way. However, he resigned his earlier assumption with a sigh, accepting that maybe she sobered up a little.
Now following in her footsteps, he arrived at the table and sat himself down where he was originally. Numi was already chugging down on her wine as he pulled himself closer to the table.
Vedal poured himself another shot, listening to the quote-unquote fancy ambiance in the background, which was literally just soft jazz accompanied by raindrops.
He knew it would take a while until Numi finished her wine bottle, so to make things quicker and easier for himself, he mentally disconnected himself from his surroundings, entering a sort of autopilot as he took a shot.
11:53 PM, A RANDOM FUCKASS PUB YOU FIND IN THE U.K.
“And… and I said… ‘What the fuuck are you talking about?!’ and you know—hic—how they fuckin’ answered?!” Numi’s speech was once again slurred as she began ranting to Vedal, who was holding a shot glass filled with rum.
“Uh huh, how did you answer?” Vedal deadpanned, now downing its contents and placing the glass on the table carefully. “Did they just ignore y—”
“THEY FUCKIN’ IGNORED ME!” she shouted, leaning on the table with all her weight shifting on to it. “I—hic—I would have appreciated it if—hic—they said something, but…”
She fell back down on her chair and started sobbing uncontrollably. “They… they literally just—hic—ignored me!” she choked, sniffling aggressively.
Meanwhile, Vedal just looked like he could care less as he poured his last shot of banana rum, tipping the bottle to its maximum in order to get the final drop of his alcohol. “Uh-huh, yeah, it’s not like I heard that already,” he muttered to himself, his eyes lifeless as he was still literally in autopilot mode.
“Hic! D-did I already say that?” Numi questioned, nearly toppling over her almost empty wine bottle.
“Hmm… Yeah, almost three times now, actually,” Vedal answered, before taking his final shot.
As he slammed his shot glass on the wooden table, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, before rubbing the back of his neck, looking down to the side with closed eyes.
Numi facepalmed, her hand not carrying any weight at all as it looked like it was floating slowly with every movement she made. She dragged her hand down her face. “Oh… jeez… I—I seem to have become a little scatterbrained,” she chuckled to herself.
Vedal shook his head before standing up. “Y’know what, I think that's enough drinking for you tonight, Numi,” he uttered, giving off major daddy vibes for Numi. “I don’t want you throwing up in my car while I drop you off.”
Numi could only look up at him with sassy denial. “Noooo~! I don’t—hic—I don’t wanna go yet!” she crossed her arms and pouted, turning away from the man in the green hoodie.
With a simple grab of the hip, Vedal lifted Numi up and slung her over his shoulder, before grabbing the wine bottle from the table.
“!?” Numi was completely bewildered by this sudden action.
[Akuma Nihmune GET!]
[Nearly Empty Wine Bottle GET!]
Turning to Filian, Vedal noticed how she was scanning a magazine on a bar stool by the counter. “Hey, Filian,” he called out her name, which was met with her lazily looking over her shoulder.
“Mmm… yeah?” Filian’s voice carried an air of listlessness as she flipped through pages, seemingly more focused on her magazine compared to the guy currently carrying the girl who was squirming in place.
“I’ll be paying my tab the next time I come around,” Vedal said, which was only met with a hearty laugh from Filian. His expression grew unimpressed.
Filian closed her magazine and spun around the bar stool, now facing Vedal. “Yeah~! Sure, buddy~! It’s not like you already said that a few days ago.”
Vedal rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry Filian, I’ll make sure to pay it soon,” he turned away from her and began walking to the front door of the pub.
Filian dismissively waved her hand. “Psshh, sure, whatever,” she paused, spinning back around on the stool toward the counter, reopening the magazine. “Take care on the way home, turtle boy.”
Vedal then proceeded out of the pub with Numi and the wine bottle in hand. With dad-like tiredness evident on his face, he approached his car, unlocking it automatically with his key.
He then opened the passenger seat and carefully sat Numi down, who was pouting profusely with a red blush that reached up to her ears. After that, he set the wine bottle on her lap, completely changing her expression—resemblant of how a child would react when they received candy.
Closing the door, he moved to the other side of the car and entered the driver’s side, slamming the door shut and inserting the key into the ignition of the car. “Don’t forget to wear your seatbelt,” he remarked, adjusting the rearview mirror.
Numi just grumbled in response, visibly drunk as her lips curved in a relaxed way as she sunk deeper into the car seat. At this sight, Vedal looked on in disgust, his eyebrows dipping inward as his mouth slightly opened.
Shaking his head, Vedal reached over and grabbed the seatbelt, before pulling on it and putting it on Numi, securing her to the seat as he returned to his side of the car.
As he also wore his seatbelt, Vedal held onto the steering wheel of the car, and froze.
“...Shit, where does Numi live?” he pondered, sneaking a glance over at the drunken girl who was hammered, hugging tightly onto the wine bottle. “I never got the chance to ask where she lived before she… uhh… became incomprehensible.”
Vedal looked forward and tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his eyebrow twitching. With a defeated sigh, he unparked his car and began driving. “There’s no harm in trying, right?” he thought.
Keeping his attention on the road being lit by his headlights, he cleared his throat, an attempt at catching her attention. “Say, Numi. Can you remember where you live?” he asked, not expecting an answer.
“Mmm~ It’s—hic—It’s around…” surprisingly, Numi gave him an answer in a somewhat sober way. Afterwards, though, she returned to her own drunken mumbling.
Vedal nodded, surprised with the clear answer he got—despite some hiccups in the middle of her sentences as she delivered it. Now not having to resort to bringing her to his home and possibly waking up the twins from their charging session, he made sure to drive safely towards her home.
11:59 PM, INFRONT OF NUMI’S HOUSE
Now parking his car, Vedal exited it and moved to the passenger side of his car. Opening the door, he looked down at Numi as if she was some sort of child, cradling her wine bottle like it was some sort of plushie.
Vedal leaned into the car and unlatched the seatbelt, holding it so it didn't whip back to its original state. Now bringing the seatbelt to its unstretched state, he returned to looking back at Numi, now treating her like some sort of non-euclidean anomaly instead of a child.
“How do I… bring her inside?” he surmised, completely lost on what to do.
“Could you—hic—carry me…?” Numi suddenly asked, opening her eyes and looking up at Vedal, her light pale pink eyes glimmering in the midnight light.
What happened to Vedal could be simply described as a flashbang. He turned away and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying his best to regain his usual composure and dissociative personality. “A-alright. Sure…” he muttered, turning back to Numi.
With a simple grunt, he reached down and picked her up in a princess carry, adjusting the way he carried her so it was most comfortable for both him and her. After picking her up, he closed the car door by bumping it with his hip.
He then began walking towards Numi’s front door, carrying her in his arms like a knight and their very disgruntled and absolutely wasted quote-unquote princess.
“Oh right, I need to lock the car,” he mentioned, looking down at Numi with a blank expression. “Do you mind if I set you down in front of your front door and leave you for a moment?”
Numi nuzzled against Vedal’s turtle hoodie while moaning in agreement. Vedal looked back up again and cleared his throat. “I’ll… take that as a yes,” he muttered to himself.
Now reaching the front door, he set Numi down carefully, before straightening his back, turning over his heel, and aiming his key at the car. Pressing the button that both locks and unlocks the car doors, the car beeps in response.
He then pocketed the key and turned back to Numi, who was now standing and fumbling with her own key, trying to unlock the door.
“Numi? Hey, wait a seco—” As he reached his hand out, the sound of a door clicking reached both of their ears, signalling to both of them that the door had been unlocked.
Numi looked over her shoulder and at Vedal, before smiling warmly, a red blush that reached up to her ears now obvious. “Did… Did I—hic—help~?” she asked, seemingly wobbling in place as she continued holding onto the key that had been inserted in the keyhole.
With slouched shoulders, Vedal looked at her with half-closed eyes. He then shook his head from side-to-side, straightening his back. “Yeah, you helped,” he blankly answered, before looking down at her hand.
Vedal slowly approached the front door and helped her with taking the key out, before picking her up and carrying her in his arms. Using the hand that was acting as a support for her legs, he twisted the knob and pushed it open.
Entering her extremely dim home, he made sure to close the door behind himself and scanned the hallway he was standing in. “So… Numi, could you tell me where your room is?” Vedal asked, taking a few steps forward and looking at the room to his left, which seemed to be a living room.
“It’s… mmm, it’s the third door over—hic—there to the… uhh… the right,” Numi answered, her eyes closed and a curved smile on her lips.
Vedal then began counting the doors he passed by. Even with the instructions given by Numi, he immediately discerned which door led to her room thanks to a wooden sign hung on the door itself which read ‘Numi’s Room’, written in a cutesy looking style.
Swinging the door open completely, Vedal stepped into her room. After taking just a step inside the room, the lights automatically turned on. Thanks to the light, he took a look around while getting closer to her bed.
The room itself had a rustic vibe to it—brick walls and a wooden floor with a strange-looking carpet in the shape of a round purple blob with red pointed horns. Those lights you usually hang up during Christmas are also hung up on her walls, lit up completely. The last thing he noticed that was of interest to him was her streaming setup, which was set up in front of the foot of her bed and against the wall.
Now arriving at the side of her bed, Vedal slowly lowered Numi down on it, making sure her head was gently placed on the pillow.
Now with her lying on the bed, Vedal kneeled down onto one knee, resting his arm on his leg and looking into her eyes. “Do you need anything? Water? A towel? A change of clothes?” he began listing down the things Numi might possibly need.
However, the response he got was her shaking her head slowly.
Vedal held onto his chin and nodded with eyes closed. “Alright. How about the light—do you want me to turn it off before I go?”
Numi answered with a nod. “On… on the table… Remote,” she answered with a soft voice—barely a whisper.
Nodding in agreement, Vedal made his way to her setup. As he stood by the table, he began scanning what laid atop. Aside from the usual stuff you would see, he notices a framed photo of what seems to be a game character.
His eyes continued scanning the table, until he saw a white remote. Grabbing it, he inspected each button and it was safe to say he had absolutely zero clue as to what each button meant—yes, despite his prowess as a programmer, he had finally met his match.
He shook his head in disbelief. “This… this is absolutely incomprehensible,” he said. Without anything else to rely on, he turned to Numi, who was still indeed lying on her bed, ready to fall into a deep slumber any moment as she now had a blanket wrapped around her.
With a deep and heavy sigh, he approached her. “Hey Numi, do you know which button is which?” he asked, now standing by her side as he focused on the remote. “You should probably label these things…”
“...” No response. Numi was completely silent underneath those sheets.
Vedal raised an eyebrow. “Uhh… Numi?” he called out her name, getting back down on one knee to get a closer look at her. “Could you… uhh… like… lift up the blanket for a moment so you can show me which button I have to press?”
Then, Vedal was left in silence. Unamused by this, he exhaled through his mouth out of irritation. “Alright, nevermind.”
He then put his hand on the mattress in order to push himself up, looking at the door. “I’ll be heading out now, Don’t forget to—”
Something then touched his hand.
Vedal slowly turned back to look at what grabbed his hand. “N-Numi?” he questioned, now staring at her pale hand holding onto his own, tightly.
Gulping some saliva, he watched as she raised the blanket up, their eyes now locking.
“I…” Numi’s voice was soft, and her face was completely flushed. Her plump chest squeezed against the mattress, but thanks to whatever virgin energy that fueled Vedal, he still proceeded to look into her eyes. “...don’t want you to go… Not yet.”
Vedal felt her pull him closer as she said that, but he stayed rooted where he knelt. “Look, Numi. You’re drunk, you need to rest,” he said with a stalwart expression. “Don’t make any rash decisions you might regret once you’re sober.”
“Hooolyy shit—why the hell is she so damn strong?!” In actuality though, his brain was actively being fried due to the panic harassing his brain and all other sorts of stress-reactions joining in on the action.
Without any warning whatsoever, he gets pulled into her grasp and under the blanket completely. The blanket fell on both of them as Numi embraced him tightly, making sure to wrap her leg around his and holding onto his head as his face was buried deep in her chest. “Mmph?!”
As he glanced up, all he could see was a devilishly playful smirk and heart-shaped pupils staring down at him. “Just stay the night…” she whispered to him. “...I can’t—hic—handle sleeping alone.”
Vedal used all his strength to push himself away from her chest. “Numi! C-chill out for a second!” he shouted, but the girl currently holding him only puffed up one of her cheeks and pouted.
“Hmph~! I don’t—hic—wanna!” she replied, pulling Vedal closer once more. “I… I just want to be with you, Vedal.”
“...Yeah, screw it. I’m not dealing with this,” Vedal had officially given up. In a vain attempt at getting away, he held onto her arm gently. “Numi… I… uhh…. It’s pretty uncomfortable being under this blanket.”
Numi’s expression softened as she noticed how sweat was rolling down his face. “O-oh… I’m—hic—s-sorry about that,” her voice became shaky and her grip became loose. “I… didn’t mean to make you—hic—uncomfortable.”
Vedal let go of Numi and slowly pushed himself up, sitting on his knees and throwing the blanket off of both of them. “It’s… ugh… Don’t beat yourself up over this, Numi,” he looked away from her. “I’m just… not interested in—”
“—shit!” As he began hopping off the bed, his knee suddenly landed on the wine bottle Numi was carrying ever since they left the pub, which in turn caused him to lose balance. Vedal then closed his eyes, an instinctual response.
“W-wait—!” Numi—after noticing how Vedal was about to land on her—reached both her hands out to try and catch him, before closing her eyes out of fear of what may happen.
While this was all happening, the remote escaped Vedal’s grip and went flying to the other side of the room, landing on the side where the buttons were, and—as if some sort of godlike being was watching—the light switched off.
Slowly opening their eyes, both Vedal and Numi quickly realized that this night was far from over.
Two nose lengths apart, hot breath intertwined, the both of them locked eyes—green mixing with pink. To further add onto this conundrum, both of his hands were holding onto her wrists, almost as if he was holding her down.
A deep red blush burned itself on both of their faces. The silence the two of them shared was deafening as they held this distance between each other.
“I…” Vedal broke the silence.
Numi then waited with bated breath for his answer as he seemingly got closer to her face, his breath getting even hotter as it struck her face like a slap.
“...I-I think you should get some rest, Numi,” Vedal spoke with a quiet tone as he pushed himself off of Numi.
Wide-eyed, Numi watched, a weak sigh being the only one leaving her lips.
“V-Vedal…?” She moaned under her breath, a gaze still latched onto the hooded man standing before her.
The turtle-hoodied man stood there with his back turned towards her, unmoving and head hanging low. “...”
Her weakened demeanor was on full display as her eyelids drooped. “M-Mm… O-Okay…”
“...” The ambiance was deafening. The faint breathing shared by the two, the rustling off sheets and cloth—it was so despondent.
“S-Sorry, Vedal.” A voice cut through the silence, catching his attention as he glanced over his shoulder.
“I-I’m a mess, ar—hic—areen’t I…?” She continued further, recoiling into her blanket.
Vedal’s green, tired eyes stared at the lump on the bed.
TAP… TAP… TAP… TAP…
…
RUSTLE…
“...?” Numi let out a helpless, curious hum at the noi—
“You aren’t.”
Vedal voiced out under his breath, now keeping his watchful eyes away from the half-demon, half-human girl. “You, uhh—I-I mean… You aren’t… a mess in the slightest.”
Numi’s expression was mixed at best as she hid under her blanket. It was as if a cold bucket of water filled to the brim with ice was splashed over her face at this very moment.
Silence followed the two.
So close, yet so far apart, all separated by just a blanket. A simple blanket.
Then, the faint jostling of cloth reverberated throughout the quiet room.
A tug.
Vedal felt a tug at his shoulder. This pulled him to turn towards the motion, wherein his gaze met a hand lazing over the edge of the bed.
It was Numi’s.
“...Hold,” she whispered, barely above a decibel.
To nobody’s surprise, Vedal couldn’t catch a snippet of it.
After waiting a few seconds, the hand began to close and open repeatedly, as if she had resorted to using actual baby tactics to get what she was trying to convey to him.
It still couldn’t get through his thick skull as he stared at the hand, an eyebrow raised.
As the hand fell limp, Vedal took this as a sign of dissatisfaction—who wouldn’t, really?
With the situation now clearly declining, he had to use his ultra-mega-programmer giga-brain to foresee all possible interpretations of what she meant.
…
…
…
…
…
PING!
The lightbulb in his noggin finally lit up.
In one, gentle motion, Vedal reached out and grabbed her hand.
…
It felt warm. Soft. Warm and soft. Like a perfectly cooked marshmallow.
Vedal held on to her hand as he sat there on the floor, his back resting against the frame of the bed.
Underneath the blanket, Numi was blushing as she brought a closed hand up to her mouth, hiding the smile forming across her flushed face.
She felt like the happiest girl in the world, even wishing this moment wouldn’t ever end.
Yet, despite all that, the Sandman would bring her to her destined rest.
2:51 AM, NUMI’S ROOM
…
“...”
Vedal was sitting on the floor next to the bed, a knee up to his face as his head hung low. He was quiet.
“...”
Numi was still in her blanket cocoon with only a hand peeking out from under, which was still being held by the man on the floor.
The world was good enough as is.
"Numi?" Vedal whispered, his voice as cool as ice and as silent as an owl.
…No response. Vedal found himself weakly chuckling at this, which he immediately cut off with the clearing of his throat.
“You, uhm… probably won’t hear me saying this, but…” Vedal paused, looking up and to the side—towards the window. The moonlight was seeping through the gaps on the curtains.
“...I enjoyed the night we spent together.”
He then stopped, looking down at his open palm resting atop his crossed leg. “You’re… fun to be around, y’know?”
“It’s been awhile since I had a couple of shots with somebody of your caliber,” he sighed, shaking his head. “...Would you even call that a couple of shots? It’s more like a couple of bottles, if you ask me.”
…Again, no response. With an exhale through his nose, he nodded knowingly.
“...Thanks, Numi.”
Turning to face her—or specifically, the lump on the bed—Vedal gave her the most sincere smile he could muster.
“...” He observed it... no, her with his emerald eyes, while those eyebags of his radiating with fatigue and undoubtable stress.
“...Goodnight.”
...And, despite all his personality traits, care found itself in the glimmer of his eyes.
5:00 AM, NUMI’S ROOM
…
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The alarm blared, filling the room with noise.
Numi, however, just moved to her side, covering herself in her blanket. “Mmm… not now…” she moaned, her voice coarse.
Despite her request, the alarm still continued beeping. This caused her to reach her hand out of the safety of her blanket and try to slap the off button of the annoying alarm.
“Ugh…” she groaned, now grabbing her bedside table with her finger. As her hand crawled towards the alarm, she accidentally knocked it over, sending the alarm to the floor but also causing it to cease.
Numi sat up straight. Her hair was a complete mess as she smacked her lips, looking around her room with half-closed eyes.
Looking at the door, she noticed how it was slightly ajar.
“...Vedal must still be here,” she thought, looking towards the door.
Setting one foot down on her floor, she proceeded to make her way out her bedroom. The hangover of a lifetime was knocking at her brain’s front door, but she had to muster it—to see Vedal.
The smell of something cooking emanated from her kitchen as the aroma of what seemed to be eggs led her on like that one clip from Family Guy with the pie and how it beckoned Peter Griffin.
Peeking her head into the kitchen, she is met with an otherworldly sight.
It was Vedal, and it wasn’t just Vedal, it was the Vedal wearing an apron, just like his stream a couple of days ago. The ultimate dad lifeform had entered her kitchen.
Turning around, Vedal—while holding a pan and spatula—looked at Numi. “Oh, hey. You’re up,” he said, his voice weirdly cooler compared to their night out at the pub. “I’m making some eggs—you want some?”
Numi was once again completely flustered by what she saw as her blush reached up to her ears. “V—Ve—” she couldn’t even complete her sentence as her stutter became worse.
She fell to her knees, looking straight down as she groaned in pleasure. “G-Gnnghh… V-Vedal making… e-eggs…”
“M-M-Married couple…” She clenched her fist as if she had just won at life, drool dripping out of her mouth and gradually pooling up below her.
Vedal stared, deadpan as always—when has that ever changed? “...”
“...Y-Yeah… still freaky.”