keep on forgetting │ one on one w/ butter

[Butter Dragon]

Waiting for a reply was hell to Chiko, but he wouldn't pressure her with more words. He kept repeating his own speech in his mind, thinking of any way he could've said it better if he sounded harsh or... something? He knew he sounded insensitive, that much was clear to his own ears. But it was the truth of the matter, and he couldn't lie to her. That was the first time he had blacked out like that, but his first emotion upon coming back to consciousness was a self-preserving fear. Yes, he felt remorse retrospectively, but he'd hurt others before. If only he'd become numb to the pain it caused, not physically, but mentally. He eventually had to resign himself to the fact that he probably had said some part of it wrong, something that would offend her, something that wasn't what he meant, but what was said was said and he'd have to let her come to terms with him on her own time in her own way. If at all.

All of this happened in the span of fewer than two minutes, and Robyn's reply luckily came before he had the chance to start crying again. He was glad, though still upset, that she didn't hate him but... was she right in her thinking? She couldn't remember any of her past life, does that mean it wasn't her? Not in his own mind. It was his hands that held her, his fangs that stole her life, and whether his mental state was intact or not was entirely irrelevant to him. And, furthermore, how could she be glad that he was in her life? She couldn't even remember the life she had before, not that he knew what it was, but it had to have been better than this hell. Was there anything he could've taken from her that would make this worth it? Maybe, but he doubted a sweet girl like Robyn had too many skeletons in her closet.

"A-And I also know that you said that you wanted to do anything but this... but even if you don't want it you have my forgiveness... on one condition," He waited with baited breath for the reply, his mind spinning as he contemplated the pause. The response, so desired, came in the form of a small slip of paper returned to him from the other side. "Don't leave me," the words stung his eyes in the form of tears as he crumpled the note in his hand. Not out of malice, but out of uncontrollable emotion escaping through his contracting hand. He didn't try to mask his tears, though through it one could also hear his half-hearted laughter. He wasn't sure why he was laughing, he didn't find it funny, but it felt right. It felt like the appropriate response. To cry, to smile, to laugh, and to hold on to the bit of hope he thought he'd long since lost. "I promise, Roby," he said, a smile evident in his voice. "I'll stay as long as you need me to."

He considered going in, but the thought was quickly replaced by one that seemed like a better idea. He jumped to his feet, murmured something along the lines of "I'll be right back," and half ran, half leaped down the stairs. He caught himself from falling on the last step and skidded to a stop in the living room. A quick scan of the room revealed what he was looking for. Grabbing the plate, with un-touched chocolate cake on top of it, Chiko ran back upstairs nearly as quickly as he came, though taking care not to drop the food. He gave a, probably unnecessary, knock and said with a smile, "Hey, you hungry?" He opened the door slowly to see Robyn sitting on the other side. He squatted down next to her and held out the plate. "It's meant for you after all."

[parker;]

──── ( R O B Y N ! ! ! )

His response brought a smile to her face, although she knew that the veil of a blanket and the barrier of her door prevented him from seeing it. The smile faded as she heard him racing down the steps, returning only after it had vanished. She watched him step into the room, the knock having pulled her face out of her knees. Robyn moved her hand to run her eyes as she quietly mumbled, "Sorry... I probably look terrible..."

She moved her hand to accept the slice of cake, balancing it on her knees as she looked over at Chiko with a hollow smile while she said, "I'm not really hungry... uh... but thank you..." She'd taken a few bites of it before setting the plate down on the floor, her arms protesting at every movement. Robyn's spine stiffened as she remembered how much damage her companion would have had to sustain, her head snapping around to look at him. "You really shouldn't be moving so much... especially after the fight..." She ended this with a slight threat to the group of bullies, "I'm going to make them beg for mercy..."

Robyn tilted her head back, a blue-purple bruise forming on her cheek as she groaned slightly at the movement. She was stiff, both from having spent maybe ten or fifteen minutes in a bundle, and from the fight. Her hand moved up to Chiko's face as her head turned a bit so she could see him out of the corner of her eye. The back of her hand began to gently rub his cheek, although it began to drift downwards as she said with a smile, "You really shouldn't cry over someone like me... I'm not that great either way..."

The stray hand fell onto his shoulder as she leaned towards him, the other arm moving over his shoulder as she hugged him. "I don't want people crying over me anymore... okay?" In the back of her mind she already knew that it was a request that would be held for maybe a day or two before Chiko would decide to play the hero again. Honestly it didn't feel that bad when he did, although she silently vowed to be more than a bag tossed at someone. She could hear it starting to rain outside, the pattering forming a type of static sound against the silence.

[Butter Dragon]

"You look fine, Robyn," he smiled as his eyes scanned her face. It was red, as was his, but it was still as sweet as it had ever been. He laughed internally at her remark about not being hungry. welcome to my world, was his first thought but he kept the snarky remark for another time. He'd nearly forgot about the fight from earlier... All his bruises... His cuts... The slash on his chest... It was like focusing on Robyn had taken all his pain away. Or maybe it was all the crying. Or, probably, both. Her, Robyn Hirashima, was comedic. She was certainly feisty enough for it, but against them, she really stood no chance. Neither did he, really.

His smile turned to a frown as she said she didn't want anyone crying over her. There was really no chance of that, Chiko was prone to crying on the best day. And with Robyn in the picture, the likelihood went up by at least fifty percent. "I'll try," he said with a small smile returning, "if you don't jump into any more fights. Deal?" He knew she'd probably still do it like he'd probably still cry, but it was worth a shot. Chiko sighed, sitting down in a more relaxed position beside her, hearing the rain start up outside. He could hear it, the rhythmic sound against the roof. It would've been relaxing if he weren't afraid of the thunder he knew would come soon.

He hated storms, but he wasn't going to let the weather rain on his "gotta comfort Robyn" parade. And yes, the irony of that thought did strike him as soon as it came into his mind. "You still up to facing school tomorrow? I know today was rough..." he paused, rubbing the back of his head (a nervous habit). "Mostly because of me... But maybe tomorrow will be better, I mean... We can hope, right?"

[parker;]

──── ( R O B Y N ! ! ! )

A brisk smile appeared on her face as she nodded, ignoring the fact that neither of them would follow through on their promise if the situation ever arose. Her head lifted a bit as the rain picked up, sheets of it falling on the house as the sky darkened. "I promise..." Her words were soft, but she meant them... unless they were in imminent danger and kicking, biting, and clawing would do some good. Awkwardly Robyn moved the blanket to rest over Chiko's shoulders, pulling part of it on top of his head with a smile. "But... I'm going to help you if you need it okay..."

Her answer to his question was interrupted by a harsh blast of thunder, enough to force her back against the wall as her eyes widened in fear. Finally Robyn mustered the courage to speak again. "I think that I'll be able to go," her muscles finally began to relax as she finished with, "And it would have been worse without you..." Her hands pulled her knees in close to her chest as she chuckled to herself a bit then said, "So... you're a vampire?"

It felt odd saying that, pointing out that someone was part of a group and they couldn't get out of that. The offensiveness of the statement came to her shortly afterwards as she blurted, "A-and it's fine if you are... I don't want to offend you or anything... I probably did and I'm sorry...." Her head lowered, only to shoot back up when the sky flashed and a deafening roar of thunder followed.

[Butter Dragon]

Chiko held the blanket gratefully, flinching internally at the sound of the thunder outside. He tried to focus on Robyn, she was the important one anyway. He accepted the promise, though it only served as a sentimental statement and not an actual promise of non-action. Her question of his breed was surprising, though it really shouldn't have been. For him, it was taken for granted. But most people would struggle to believe that he even existed, at least in the way that he claimed to. "In that I'm a humanoid parasite, yes," he answered honestly, hoping his use of the appropriate word parasite wouldn't make her pity him. It was just how it was, in the biological sense. He fed off of other creatures in a way that was detrimental to them. "In that I suck blood, no. I take memories, though that part I'm sure you realized."

He couldn't help but let out a sigh. He wanted to give her the answers she wanted, needed, but he didn't even know how to explain it to himself. He didn't know how it worked, he didn't know his limitations, his differences, he didn't know anything about himself so how was he supposed to explain it to someone else? "Uh, I don't know how much you read..." he admitted, flushing slightly as a crack of thunder echoed in his ears. "You can ask whatever, I-I don't have anything to hide anymore but I don't really know what to say either."

[parker;]

──── ( R O B Y N ! ! ! )

"You aren't a parasite." Her word were smooth- smooth and stern. "Or you're like a wolf to a rabbit... meaning that you serve a purpose whether you like it or not." She swallowed, another ominous boom nearly shaking the house as the storm grew more violent. With a slight sense of reluctance Robyn stood up, moving to sit on the edge of her bed as she made room for Chiko.

After a moment she leaned back, folding her arms across her face before asking, "So... do you have to bite into the neck specifically? And how exactly does it work... do you have to find a way to connect to the brain?" She paused, moving her arms to form a makeshift cushion under her head as she said, "You also said that you had fangs... can I see them?" Her mind immediately criticized her for that, it was like hearing that someone had an extra finger then expecting them to suddenly feel fine about showing it off. Before her questions could be answered a phone rang in her parents room. It didn't take too long for Robyn to find it, but instead of picking up she simply let it ring. Her mind had been right this time, it wasn't her parents, but rather an alert about the incoming storm and how it was suggested to stay inside. You don't say...

Robyn carefully stepped back into her own room, sitting back down on her bed before she said, "We aren't supposed to go outside..." She was going to ask him if he had a ride home, then remembered that he didn't have a home. He'd written about the building he lived in, among other things. "You can stay here until the storm passes... my parents are probably going on another family excursion" She used her fingers to form air quotes while saying this, she'd been told about how her mother and father were planning to go to somewhere in Europe for a conference of simply to catch up with older friends. And from what the doctors had told her, this was a common event. With a slight chuckle she added, "You could probably stay here for a while... there's a guest room or you could use this bed and I can sleep on the couch..."