"Thaaaaat would be me." Lorelei nodded, pointing the gun at himself. He seemed confused by the other’s confusion, but smiled nonetheless. "Though I guess you could say the Lorelei you’re referring to isn’t the one speaking. Why?" He blinked his eyes slowly.
"O-oh it's nothing." Oh no, oh no--this was the Jabberwocky. Oh shit, he was actually in trouble now.
"I was just wondering...It's a bit dangerous playing with that gun, isn't it? Maybe you could put that down and we could get to know each other? Through talking?" He needed to get out of there. As much as he boasted being able to outrun a bullet, that was when he was calm. And he was anything but calm right now.
Lips curving downwards into a frown, Eris cast a look towards Kalei, one of which seemed to read the basic sentence he almost always uttered to anyone: “shut the fuck up.” But with Kalei, he never really meant it, it was more of a joke than anything else, like a child whining.
"I’m not," He sighed out, eyes shutting as he made a frustrated noise of disapproval whilst his mind ran through all the different scenarios he could be forced into. Ought to be prepared, right? He was, in reality, a shy and nervous person. "I just hate being around too many people for long periods of time." Not only is it boring and/or annoying, it tires him out.
Eyes fluttering back open, the ravenet giving a faint noise of approval when kissed, making another one that sounded much like a soft whine when the feeling was cut off. “I guess.” Eris replied as he pulled back, allowing himself to be moved along.
The moment they entered the castle, it could be said that Kalei was stunned silent. A very rare occurrence it was, that he ever shut up, but there it was. He stopped stone still, his ears straight up, and oh dear god was he glad he was invited to this event.
"Oh my god this is amazing. Eris. Eris are you seeing this. Eris." Kalei tugged on Eris's hand while gesturing at everything, from the lights to the people to the room itself. "No wonder my mom was so adamant about me wearing this outfit, and here I thought it would be too fancy--Holy shit."
And he spotted the food.
"Okay Eris I know to watch my manners, it's all I've been taught my whole life--but do you think I can manage to taste everything here in one night? Can I?"
Despite furiously denying any idea that she was in any way a woman, she didn’t mind this sudden change. She only denied it because she thought it was rude to call her female when she specifically stated she referred to herself as male. But now… it was the other way around. And there was no denying it - she couldn’t just put on his suit and go about as normal. Why?
91 centimeters - that’s fucking why.
And, as she was male (despite feminine traits), she had no idea how to make them… less… obvious. Dammit. So, in the end, Eris had to call her mother for help, resulting in standing before a mirror, in clothes she’d never thought she’d wear in her life. Business and business casual were usually what she wore but… the outfit she was now in wasn’t particularly bad… Just—
"Tight. It’s very tight." Suits were tight too, though, and Eris wasn’t about to complain. She looked fine and, not only that, she didn’t want to talk to her mom for hours again in order to get dressed. There were more important tasks at hand like checking on Kalei.
Speaking of which, hopefully Kalei wouldn’t mind the new… appearance that would soon go away - or so Eris prayed as she situated herself on the motorcycle she owned, starting the vehicle up and heading straight to Kalei’s house, nearly tripping over her feet when she arrived and attempted to run to the door, forgetting heels existed.
The moment her doorbell rang, Kalei knew exactly who it was--Eris was the only one who actually knocked her door, instead of using the doorbell or the speaker system. And boy, was she glad Eris was here. It saved her the trouble of having to go find him herself.
Quickly throwing something on from the (very blue) pile of clothes her friend leant her, Kalei all but stumbled down her stairs rushing down to her front door. It was a good thing she had quick reflexes, and wasn't wearing the pair of heeled sandals left by her door.
"Eris!" She all but yelled as she threw her door open, "Oh my god, Eris, I have to tell you--"
Wait, hold on. Were those...? "--Eris, oh my god, you have boobs!" Very subtle, Kalei. "Uh, I mean, you're female too?"
♥♥ (asking for more things when u still have to answer things that is ur downfall bae)
19. A date
“Wait—right now?” It was the last thing Kalei would have expected, but there was Eris, outside his door at one in the morning, asking him out for a date.
“O—k, just gimme a sec to get dressed, ‘kay?” Kalei pecked Eris on the lips, before turning back into his house headed for his room, leaving the front door open. He wasn’t going to question Eris’s motivations, he’s done stranger things—and anyway, he didn’t have much better to do in middle of the night, and a date sounded fantastic for a hyper energetic rabbit.
“Stay safe, Kalei. But remember whatever you do, you must be the best. Don’t do anything you can’t succeed at.”
“Yes, father.”
———Age 6———
“Richard? How long have my parents been gone?”
“Seven months and six days, young master.”
“Will they ever come back?”
“I do not know, young master.”
“But they said they would be back for my birthday!”
“They always say that, young master.”
———Age 7———
“Gabriel, are my parents going to come home today?”
“I do not know, young master.”
“But it’s my birthday! I’m seven today!”
“I know, young master.”
“Do my parents know?”
“I do not know, young master.”
———Age 8———
“How long have they been gone this time, Nathaniel?”
“Eleven months, young master.”
“Do you know when they’re coming back?”
“No, young master.”
“Thank you, Nathaniel.”
“Happy birthday, young master.”
———Age 9———
“No sign of them?”
“No, young master.”
“Thank you, Jacob. You may leave.”
“Happy birthday, young master.”
“Leave.”
“As you wish, young master.”
———Age 10———
“Are they…?”
“No, young master.”
“As I thought.”
“Happy birthday, young master.”
“Thank you, Andrew.”
———Age 11———
“It is midnight, young master. You must sleep.”
“Alright.”
“Happy birthday, young master.”
“Thank you, Samuel.”
———Age 12———
“What do you want?”
“Happy birthday, young master.”
“Thank you, Edward.”
———Age 13———
“Happy birthday, young master.”
“Thank you, Elliot.”
———Age 14———
“Happy birthday, young master.”
———Age 15———
"It's my birthday today, Nicholas. Where have you been?"
“Is something wrong, Nicholas? You look pretty pale, and you smell like—” There was something wrong, Kalei could feel the hairs on his neck standing on an edge, “—blood, and—” But what? Nothing seemed out of place, his butler only looked sick, like he had an—
“—infected.”
—infection.
Kalei ran.
“Don’t do anything you can’t succeed at.”
Kalei couldn’t fight an infected, he was only fifteen—
—He had never encountered an infected before—
“You must be the best.”
But he couldn’t, this was impossible.
He couldn’t fight an infected—
“You must be the best."
—He could.
“Be perfect.”
He could do this, he was strong, he had been practicing all his life.
He could do this, he was the best, he was better than anyone else.
What if, while protecting you, Eris lost all his memories of you due to being injured? What if he became cold and withdrawn towards you again? What if that look of love in his eyes turned into one of wariness?
"I wouldn't let that happen. I wouldn't let him...get hurt because of me. But...If he did forget about me, then...I guess it's better that way, b-because I--I couldn't prevent him f-from getting hurt--" Oh who was he kidding. He was already on the verge of tears just from the thought alone, could he really just walk away from it all if it happened?
"But, I...I would do everything for him. I...wouldn't try to convince him to love me again...because I'd be too scared I would fail him a second time. But I would stay by him side, I would help him recover, and then...If he truly doesn't want me there, then...I would respect his wishes."
"I am already lucky enough to have caught his love once, and I wouldn't want to push my luck. I just want him to be happy, and if he could be happy without me, then...without me it is."
How would you feel if you saw someone flirting with Eris? Or even not just flirting, but coming on to him like invading personal space and kissing him?
"I would burn that motherfucker down."
"No, I'm kidding, maybe. But it would be kind of...jarring. I mean, I know Eris pretty much only loves me, and he wouldn't easily want to even be near anyone else, but...It would make me doubt a little. But only a little. I'd drag Eris away and makeout with him, or maybe makeout with Eris in front of the other person. But I would remember their face, and rabbits never forget."
What's your favourite thing about Eris? Least favourite?
"I don't have one favourite thing about Eris, Eris is my favourite thing. But one thing I find really cute about him is how affectionate and clingy he can be. When he's tried, or half asleep, it's physically impossible for me to get out of his grasp--not that I would even want to, anyway. He's so cute when he's like that, sometimes he nuzzles against me and purrs." Kalei casually ignores the second half of the question.
"It was hilarious. It took like seven tries. Eris wanted to kiss me first, but he kept messing up, bumping my nose or miss-aiming. It took about three tries for him to just give up and walk away, he was just like a grumpy cat. And after I was done laughing, I found him sulking on the couch. I kissed him on the nose, and guided his lips to mine--so technically, he did kiss me first."
"And I could have stayed like that forever. It wasn't a very good kiss, not like how we kiss now, but it was sweet and tender and emotional--and I could feel his love for me."
If you could go back in time and ask Eris out, what would you do?
"I don't think I could be as impressive and fancy as he was--I would go for the shock factor. Maybe give him a minor heart attack--accidentally, I mean. I would do something big, flashy, potentially fatally dangerous--like I always do."
How do you feel knowing that in other lives or universes, you may not be with Eris? You might be with someone else and he might be with someone else.
"Impossible. I know I love Eris, and I'm sure every me would love every Eris. If we were with other people, I'm sure we would end up together in the end."
If Eris were to die, what would you do? Side question, what would you do if he died protecting you?
"...T-that--I..." It was just a question, just a "what if," calm down, Kalei, breathe--it won't happen. "I would be...in denial at first, I would think. I...think I would become self destructive--because Eris always come to save me right before my actions crash back down on me, and I would...probably...do a lot of dangerous things waiting for Eris to come save me again..."
"If he di--if he was killed, by something, someone--I would find them and I would fucking rip them apart. Nothing, nothing that hurts Eris will survive."
"And I...don't think I would ever be over it. Just the thought itself makes me feel like a part of me is dying. I don't think I could ever smile again. My happiness comes from Eris, without him...I...I don't think I could live without him..."
"And i-if...if...he died, p-protecting--" His words were cut off by a choked sob, and, horrified, he covered his mouth with his hands. There were tears running down his cheeks, and he couldn't speak through the loud sobs racking his body.
"I-if he died--protecting me, I--" Another sob, "I--he--he can't! He--no, no he--! I won't let him! He's not allowed to! He--he can't, not--not protecting me no--no--"
