"Sally Face, what did you feed this child?" Larry sighs.

"They haven't stopped smiling since I pulled in the parking lot," Sal chuckles. "It's not the food, it's the Hello Kitty."

"It's true, my face hurts!" I exclaim, grabbing Larry's hand.

"Oh my God. If I slap you, will you stop?" he grumbles.

"Nope!" I beam.

Sal and I decided to walk back with Larry, simply because we have nothing better to do. It's cold, but I don't care. I can die happy now.

"I thought you trained this thing," Larry frowns at Sal.

"Don't call them that."

"I thought you tamed your brat."

"That's worse. Stop referring to them," my boyfriend sighs.

"Whatever. I've seriously never seen you this hyped up before, and I'm genuinely scared."

"Y/n, we can go back there, you know," Sal adds.

"I know!" I squeal excitedly.

"If you don't calm the fuck down-" Larry's cut off by Sal elbowing him. "Uh- please take a few deep breaths."

I take a few deep breaths... And I feel calm... For about four seconds. I immediately go back to grinning like a fool.

"What happens if we give them sugar?" Larry frowns. "Does it cancel whatever the hell this is out, or does it make it worse?"

"It's worse for about twenty minutes, and then they crash."

"Well, no more Pompompurin for this one."

"I have no idea how long this is going to last. Their hands were shaking in the parking lot."

"That must've been one bussin' nap," Larry cackles.

"That's... Probably why this is happening, actually," Sal admits.

"It's not the the nap. It's going to a Hello Kitty Cafe with my boyfriend, who's dressed in all black and silver chains," I chime in.

"Actually... I'd be pretty fucking ecstatic if I had a goth boyfriend with cool hair take me to the most pink and cute place ever," Larry says thoughtfully.

"See?!"

"Why does it matter that I'm wearing all black?" Sal looks confused.

"Because it's just a huge contrast to literally everything around you, including Y/n, and it's basically like you're going there and suffering for them. Especially without being asked, and plus it's just cute," Larry bites his lip and raises his eyebrows.

"I don't think he understands," I chuckle. "I'm tired, I think I ran around too much."

"Oh my fucking- the never ending saga has ended!" Larry announces, holding my hand up.

"Excuse you," I scoff.

"Pardon me for appreciating silence," Larry snorts, dropping my hand.

"Says the metalhead!" I cry. "That was targeted!"

"Oh, shut it."

"I think you two have done enough," Sal chuckles nervously and steps between us, making us stop holding hands. I hold Sal's instead.

- Timeskip 2 next day -

"Child..." Larry mutters, staring at me with wide eyes.

"What? Is it what I'm wearing?" I frown.

"Yes. First of all, gawdayum that skirt is short, so good luck with that. Second, if I hear a WORD about Cinnamoroll... I will snap your neck like a toothpick. Third, nice fishnets. You should wear them more often," the taller teen looks me up and down.

"This skirt is not too short, thank you very much. And I have calmed down, don't worry. A Cinnamoroll hoodie isn't going to break me. Thank you, I just got them. Also, Sal would kill you if you looked at me like that in front of him," I sigh.

"I know, that's why I'm doing it while he's not here," Larry smirks.

"Wow, you're such a good friend," I roll my eyes.

"I know," Larry grins and pats my head. I scowl and reach up to push his hand away, but someone else grabs it before me.

"Good morning," Sal mutters from behind me. "Don't touch my boyfriend/girlfriend/partner."

"Then I'll pat your head," Larry chuckles and pats Sal's head. Sal does not appreciate this.

"It's six in the fucking morning. I'm not doing this. Sit the fuck down," he says, taking my hand and raises his eyebrows at what I'm wearing.

"Not you too," I groan.

"I like it, but you better hope you don't get dresscoded," he tells me.

"I don't care if I get dresscoded."

"Honestly, I don't know why they have a dresscode. I think people are responsible for their own dicks," Larry scoffs and leads us out of the building. "If they get distracted by a kid just existing, eight or eighteen, they shouldn't be allowed within 300 yards of a school."

"Exactly," I nod.

"I agree, but it doesn't change anything," my boyfriend reasons.

"That's true, but I'd rather take the risk than not."

"You know short skirts get you suspended for two days, right?" Larry frowns.

"Yeah, and I still don't care. If some kid gets distracted for an hour when they have the ability to pay attention, why am I getting the ability to pay attention taken away for twelve hours? Just for sitting there and doing my work?"

"I don't know. I think it's especially weird that they have dresscodes for elementary schools," the taller boy says. "If you can't keep your hands off a toddler, why are you near them? 'Cause I know damn well the other kids don't give a shit."

"Talk to the pedos who passed the bill," Sal scoffs.

"This is why we need more women in our government," I mumble, fixing my sweater paws. My sleeves don't stay up for even thirty seconds.

We talk politics until we get to school, and Larry jogs ahead of me and Sal to greet Chug. Sal holds my hand all the way to our lockers. I carry my books with the arm he's by, so he reaches for my choker instead.

"No," I push his hand away.

He gives me puppy eyes from behind his mask, so I shift my stuff and hold onto his arm. Sal lifts his mask a bit to kiss my head, but an unknown force slams into me, effectively knocking me on the floor... In addition to his prosthetic. I hear someone mumble a brief apology, but I don't know who, and frankly, I don't care right now.

I scramble up and grab his mask as fast as I can, and cover my boyfriend's shocked face. Sal's shoulders are hunched and head is down, so his hair hides his expression. I realize that the pink part of it had broken off when it hit the floor, so he has to hold it up.

"Y/n..." he says softly, clutching the plastic with shaky hands.

"It's gonna be okay, we can fix it in the office. You go, I'll get the other part," I smile reassuringly and rest a hand on his shoulder.

"No, I'm not going without you," he whispers.

"Okay," I pick up the broken fragment from the floor and put it in my right hand, holding his with my left. "It's going to be okay, and we can always get you a new one if a little hot glue and some tape doesn't work, alright?"

"Yeah... No one saw?"

"No one batted an eye. I'm glad that the people here ignore the bullying," I chuckle and squeeze his hand in an effort to comfort him as the late bell rings. We both stay silent for the rest of the walk. When we enter the front office, the secretary is already scowling at us. I pretend not to notice.

"You two are late, don't ask me for passes," she huffs.

"We're not here for passes. Can you please get us some tape or something? His prosthetic broke," I smile politely.

"Can he live without it?" she sighs, adjusting her glasses.

"I don't know, can you live without your face?" I ask, still smiling. "This is his. By the way, this is your job. I don't know why you think you can get paid and not do what you're getting paid for."

"Excuse me? No, you don't get to talk to adults that w-"

"Just because I called you out doesn't mean I was rude, no disrespect. Please just give us some tape, and we'll be out of your hair."

"Go in a conference room. I don't want you distracting me while I work," the secretary glowers at me and pushes a roll of clear packaging tape on her desk to us. I don't move, a polite smile still plastered on my face. She sighs and shuffles through her drawer for a bit before tossing a hot glue gun by the tape.

"Thank you, have a lovely day," I let go of Sal to pick up the items. The poor boy is still shaking. He opens the door to the nearest conference room, and I shut it behind us. I plug the gun into the wall so it can heat up. "How do you want to do this?"

Sal shrugs and sits down in one of the chairs, tossing the larger fraction of his mask on the table. He buries his face in his hands. I sit down next to him and rub his back for a few minutes, waiting for the glue to reach the necessary temperature.

"Do you want me to do it?" I ask.

"Yes please."

I put a tiny bit of glue along the separated edges so it won't be visible. I give it a couple seconds to cool, and put on a few pieces of tape. I try to make it as unnoticeable as possible, while also making sure it won't fall apart. It's not bad, you'd have to know what you're looking for to see either adhesive. I check that the buckles are okay, and thankfully they are.

"Is this good?" I ask. "I tried to make it look the sa-"

"Thank you," Sal drops his hands from his face and looks at me with teary eyes and a weak smile. I hand him the the mask and let him put it on. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes for a few seconds. "I don't really want to go to class right now."

"That's fair, I'm sure the adrenaline is still wearing off," I nod and take the cord out from the outlet I put it in. "I can give you some space, we can talk, or we can do something."

"Just sit with me for a while," my boyfriend chuckles and pulls me on his lap. He rests his chin on my shoulder and sighs. I play with his fingers in my lap and listen to his breathing for a while. It doesn't take long for me to become sleepy. I'm still trying to fix my schedule from break. "You can sleep, I'll wake you up when the next bell rings."

"No, we're here for you, not me," I yawn. "I can cope."

"I say we skip the first hour to chill. Emphasis on 'we,'" Sal puts one arm around my waist and puts his feet up on an adjacent chair, basically forcing me into a more comfortable position. "Go to sleep."

"I'm supposed to be comforting you right now," I argue.

"You are, you're cuddling with me. I say you should fall asleep so I don't have to worry about your well being."

I sigh and fix my skirt. I know he's only doing this for me, which makes me feel guilty. I can't change it without doing something to annoy him, though. Sal hums softly in my ear. I focus on the buzz of his chest and intertwine our fingers.

.

.

.

"The bell is ringing, love," I feel Sal take his hand away from mine. I groan softly and open my eyes. Gods, the light in here is blinding. "Unless you want to skip next class, it's up to you."

"Mm... No, we should probably go back," I mumble, rubbing the sleep from my eyelids. "Shit, we have to give her those things back!"

"I got Larry to take care of it," Sal chuckles, putting his feet down so I can get up.

"I- dude, I think Larry's education is more important than forty-five minutes of sleep," I sigh and move off of his lap, straightening myself out ().

"He was already skipping, heh."

"So you made him run an errand instead of making him learn something for once?" I laugh.

"He wasn't going to learn anything. Let's be real."

"Okay, fair enough. Thank you for taking care of that," I shake my head.

"Mhm," my favorite idiot runs a hand through his hair and stands up. He kisses my cheek before gingerly putting his mask back on. I check to make sure my skirt isn't caught under my hoodie before adjusting my white fishnets.

"What are you staring at me for?" I chuckle, looking up to meet his gaze.

"Don't mind me, just keep doing what you're doing," I can telling he's grinning by his eyes.

"Okay, weirdo," I smile and finish pulling my fishnets back into place. I hate when I sit down for 0.004 milliseconds and they stretch at my knees for no reason. I pick up my books and reach for the door handle, but Sal grabs my wrist.

"I... Um, I don't want to go back to class yet," he says, avoiding my eyes.

"Okay, what do you want to do?" I ask. "No nouns."

"Whatever you want. Just not class, I think I'm done with people for the day. Besides you, of course," my partner sighs, letting go of me. "Sorry, I should really stop grabbing your wrist."

"It's fine, I don't care," I shrug. "My mom is at work today, if that means anything."

"Yeah, we should go to your place."

- Smol timeskip -

"Sit still, please," Sal chuckles.

"I can't, I'm about to- ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?" I holler, tossing aside the controller to cover my face. Sal reaches from behind me and pulls on my choker, making me lean back and stop moving.

"Do what I say, when I say it, and do it with respect," he tells me before letting go.

"Yes daddy," I sigh mockingly and pick up the controller. "I'm about to give up. Literally stop, nobody likes you! You smell like cornflakes and tap water! Put that- yeah, that's what I thought, buddy."

"You smell like what?" my boyfriend snorts.

"Cornflakes and tap water. I have a hard time believing this man has showered in the past seventeen years," I say through gritted teeth. "YOU TOUCH KIDS!!"

"I think you should put that down for a while, once you finish this mission."

"I can't hear anything you're saying over this bullshit called John Marstson's stamina. Well, lack thereof," I groan. "Arthur was more of a father figure to your own son than you'll ever be. Know your plaaaace."

Sal fails to suppress a snicker. It takes me about five minutes to finish the mission, maybe a bit less. When I do, I shut off my Xbox and TV and toss the remotes aside to move off of my companion. I rest my head on his lap and look up at him.

"Hi," he smiles.

"Hi," I smile.

"I love you."

"That sucks, because I love you more."

"Mmm not possible. I'm obsessed with you."

"Who isn't?" I tease him.

"I love you more, though."

"Not true. I love you more, you're just horny all the time," I giggle.

"That's an interesting thought, but I still love you more," he boops my nose. "Ha, you can't boop me back."

I tap the nose of his mask, "Close enough."

"I still love you more."

"No, you're just horny all the time."

"Again, I'm obsessed with you."

"I'm willing to say we love each other equally, because I know what you said is true, but I also don't want to sacrifice my self-worth," I sigh.

"Alright. Oh, I have to go to my cousin's wedding in about a week, and I was wondering if-"

"Yes," I cut him off, looking at him with stars in my eyes.

"Okay," he chuckles.