Aeria's
There was something wrong. Definitely wrong. Aeria could feel it on the numerous times he sighed, on the random moments his hand would tighten around his knee and his eyes lost to space. She found Yasser in their room, sitting beside the drawer, against the wall, his legs outstretched, not making a move nor acknowledgment when she sat down next to him.
And so, she didn't bother talking to him. Yet. She looks back at him again, silently cursing herself for not being able to know how to properly comfort someone without cringing at herself. Though she wants to, really wants to.
She thinks it's because of Asea and Ourie's theory and the high possibility of it making sense and actually happening. She didn't want to think too much about it though she would be a hypocrite if she wouldn't admit to herself that somehow, she got excited at the fact that they were meant to fuck each other.
Yes, yes, she knows that he's bonded with an omega already and he probably sees her as a little sister like every other crush she had who she have the luck in getting close to (proves her that she'll always be everyone's baby sister and she's fine. She's fine.) but still, at least a part of her, probably bigger than her left femur can't help but hope that maybe, just maybe... Aeria Su somehow exists?
And no, she doesn't condone stealing boyfriends at all but...fuck, she wants him. She's fallen deeper than the recommended falling limit. It's just been weeks but he's the only sun she looks forward every day to see. Not just because he's a distraction but...but the past few weeks involved them making their own world that only the both of them understand and if that's not both beautiful and pathetic, she had no idea what is.
Aeria's at the barrel, scraping the bottom for more and more and the worst thing is, there's always fucking more. More reasons to fall in love with him. More reasons to wake up. More reasons to face the hell hole head-on knowing she's not alone.
It's the way he laughs heartily even at her corniest jokes. It's the little curses he mouths when he's losing, ruining the supposed good guy facade of his as he says sorry multiple times until he realizes two days later that it's perfectly fine to curse around her. It's him slapping his hand on the left side of his face when he can't believe something. It's the chasing Trey and Ourie when they try to annoy him. It's the furrowing of his eyebrows when she somehow slips a self-deprecating joke or two as a habit and the firm warning on his eyes to stop. It's the stares while she concentrates on her next move then looking away in embarrassment as he whispers that she looks pretty. It's the sudden scream when they both blush in embarrassment to get them back to normal as she doubles over in laughter.
It's the cliche it'll be alright but it's entirely new if it's him and she actually believes him. It's the random pokes on her hand and arm, and left cheek like a cute kid asking for attention or just being annoying which she always welcomes.
It's the listing most of his habits that she hates herself more for staying. This is making her feel like the bad guy here and yet all she wants is to stay and be special...even if she's another younger sister to him. Even though a part of her, much bigger than her left femur wants him more than the obvious.
Is it so wrong to ask for more? Yeah, definitely. But still, is it really wrong? Yes. Fuck, this is hopeless.
"Aeria." His voice is quite hoarse, maybe from not speaking for a while. He looked at her and her heart was crushed into too many little pieces seeing his sad eyes. She wants to hug him, badly. Do it, do it.
And she did. His body's really warm but her heart almost stopped when his head leaned on her head as his arms hug her back. Fuck. She closed his eyes on the warmth his body is giving her as he realized that this isn't that hopeless.
Even just one one-hundredth percent is all she had, she'll hold on to it. Even if it's wrong, she wanted to steal one one-hundredth percent from fate who kept messing with her all these years.
"Aeria, thank you."
No, Yasser, thank you for existing.
🤗🤗🤗
Em's
"Asea hates me...right?" Azrael looked back to Fiona at the sudden question. His eyes caught Em who slightly looked at them, hearing it, while she's chopping carrots. He got back to sketching the eye of his latest subject.
"Hate is a strong word. We're kidnapped and stripped of our freedom, it's a normal reaction to blame people as a coping mechanism. Don't take it personally." Because he's guilty as it is with doing that. He hates that he's too self-aware for his own good most of the time.
"Do you believe her theory then? About the colored slips?" Azrael didn't answer. Em wonders what's running on Azrael's mind. Even if he does seem like he's focusing on his sketch, she feels like it's not all there is.
"I do have another theory though." She continues, her eyes lingering on his face. Em wanted to smile, Fiona likes Azrael and it's obvious even when she's a few meters away in the kitchen, cutting carrots. "The asterisks will be killed. The non-asterisks will live."
It was the most obvious, the worst-case scenario. Yet it still managed to run a chill down her spine. Three of her friends have asterisks. Two of them were injured badly, the other one was triggered to have his early pain visit, it's all pain.
"Or maybe, the asterisks will be tortured badly to save the non-asterisks--"
"Aish." Em hissed in pain, bringing her index to her face. She cut her finger. Azrael and Fiona saw her and Azrael stood up. She turns towards the sink and lets the blood wash to the drain as she felt Azrael getting the first aid kit for her. A gentleman, gladly.
She bit her lower lip, trying to numb herself to the sting caused by the running water. His fingers carefully unravel the sticky flap of the band-aid as his lips pouted a little in concentration, putting it around her finger. She somehow feels intimidated, not on his pheromones she learned to get used to for the past few weeks, but on the fact that he's too handsome for his own good. Even with the glasses, just whoa. She now understands why Asea hates looking at him.
Yet, a certain wide brown and bright-eyed mop of salt and pepper hair would make her insides disagree.
Okay, they would say, Azrael is one hell of an alpha, maybe the most out of the five who's also too lucky in the genetic lottery, but still, we stan that spiky ash-gray mop of a crackhead, the childish mess that is Trey, of course.
That man is just stunningly beautiful. The unfairness personified to the alms-asking world.
"Thank you, Azrael." She ruffled his hair as she saw him lean to the touch like a cat as she smiles. His face relaxes into a smile as he nodded and leaves.
😎😎😎
Aeria's
Why. Just why. Why.
Aeria just got a little late in waking up and her seat is now occupied by Fiona as she laughs at something Yasser was saying. She wasn't a confrontational person and she's too shy to ask her that that seat is her usual seat but she's not petty so she just settled in front of them, beside Asea who sighed exasperatedly.
"Don't frown as if you didn't want to sit there."
"Hey, I want to!" She said but Asea just rolled her eyes, not believing her one bit considering her eyes were just stuck at the two a few seconds ago. Where is it?
"Asea, what are you doing after this?" Roo asked Asea casually while they eat. "Sleep?"
Azrael blinked slowly as Roo answered. "You just woke up." Where is it?
"And?"
"Help me ruin the ceiling with Ethan." She momentarily forgets the slight irritation she's feeling on her stolen seat and her stolen man--friend and oh-ed teasingly as his friends did, too.
It is their new tradition to tease the two with the small crumbs of info they give them. The two are so silent, almost like they don't want to give any chance to each other rather than to sit opposite each other, sketch (Roo), and read (Ethan) together like a married couple who got sick of each other already. The good thing is, they bond silently and that's more than fine, though not really for her yearning shipping heart.
Without the numerous manhwa and doujinshi she reads on her phone, she has to make do with what she sees around her to make herself feel actually positive emotions. She realized she sometimes doesn't need that because Yasser alone exists.
Except someone stole her seat and now she's asking where the hell is her good morning with a sweet smile that is her head start and boost for the day from Yasser? It's also stolen. She wants to cry, wait, scratch that, she's already crying internally now.
Roo just chuckled and Ethan ignored them. "Why me. Ask anyone else--"
"You don't want to break something?"
"Sure." Roo smiled triumphantly as Em ruffled Asea's hair who just continued eating.
The breakfast ended and she was assigned to wash the dishes, trying to not wipe the sponge on the hanker sore protagonist named Fiona for still laughing at Yasser's words. And when she's done, she walked towards the two and Yasser smiled and the fireworks lit up behind him. Fuck, you're crazy, Aeria. "What do you want to play today? Fiona wants to join us." Oh. Okay. Wow.
"Azrael, you want to join?" Fiona called Azrael as she thinks of redeeming herself from the sins she has committed by just thinking about horrible things to Fiona and what game she wants to play today. Azrael's walking towards Ethan, Roo and Asea who's in the kitchen talking.
"No." Azrael answered as he helped Trey and Em move the other couches while Jace is silently listening to them by the wall. Ourie's sitting by the doorway, his head turned towards them, too.
It's weird that they're playing when everyone else seemed to want to help ruin the ceiling. She looked back and saw Yasser chuckling at whatever Fiona was saying. "Yasser," she called, catching their attention. "Don't you want to help?"
"I will, just waiting for them to start." She nodded and took a mental note that she will be helping, too, just staying behind for a while. And she can do that. Really.
Em and Trey pushed the couch where they're in towards the mini gym and she isn't happy getting stuck with the two. Yasser kept glancing at her as if he wants her to include in the conversation but Fiona is leading the convo and her body language, her arm comfortably holding on to Yasser and subtly turning his body to face her (so his back will be facing Aeria's) she knows she doesn't want her included.
She's no idiot, she knows when she's not welcome. She feels a familiar pang on her chest realizing that someone she has no idea about is giving out signs she didn't want her included. It's not that she wants to be included all the time, it's just weird. She hasn't done anything wrong to her, why would she make her feel that?
"Aeria," Jace called, his eyes darting on the two as she immediately followed, standing next to him, her peripheral on the two. He noticed her silence and she can feel his eyes on her, waiting for her to say it or fake that she's fine but she didn't. For now, she's just astounded and disappointed with how people can treat other people like that.
"Are you jealous?"
"Not that." He didn't ask more and she's glad he didn't.
Her peripheral caught her leaning close to his ear, smiling sweetly as she takes a sharp inhale of breath and looks away.
🤓🤓🤓
Em's
"Roo chose Asea because she's feeling down lately?" Trey asked, his bright eyes flickering on Asea. Em hummed as a response. Mostly because Roo's as worried as Em is to Asea. He wanted to make her feel included, and somehow ease what she's bottling up inside even a little.
"The same way you would choose to get beaten up by your best friend just to control him." He laughed, sitting down on the top of the backrest of the couch as she follows. They decided to unscrew the kitchen light, maybe find an attic, and later on, a way out from this.
"That's the power of friendship. Better than the Powerpuff Girls." She oh-ed, a smile on her face remembering one of her favorite cartoons.
"I love Blossom. She looks cute and a real perfectionist." He gasped, not believing this shit.
"No! Bubbles is cuter!" She giggled, scrunching her face in faked discomfort, as he watches her try to rebut his argument. "Bubbles can be scary."
"Blossom is scary, she leads them all the time and acts like the oldest--"
"Trey, she's the oldest."
"But still." He pouted a little, concentrating on thinking about what to add to his argument. Then as if accepting defeat, he declared. "Fine, Blossom's beautiful." She blinked fast. All of a sudden? What is this, a change of heart? "She's too beautiful for me that's why I can't take her. Aish." He throws his hands on his face frustratedly, not believing that he's just admitting this today.
"Buttercup?"
"Buttercup's cool. My sister acts like her so. But, even if Bubbles is cute, Blossom is just.." He bit on his lower lip, looking like a kid having his first dilemma ever, choosing what gift he wants for Santa. Trey really is cute.
She eyed Asea who's wearing a white sweatshirt and black jogging pants and climbing up the kitchen counter without any help from anyone.
Noticing his silence, she tilted her head to the right. "What's the matter, Trey?"
"I'm having an existential crisis." She blinked fast and held on to his arm. "Trey no, Blossom's beautiful and we all know that." She assured him. His eyes looked worried for some reason. "But...all this time, Bubbles is my favorite, what if she gets sad of me thinking much highly on Blossoms?" Instead of getting weirded out, it hit her.
The reason why she's so drawn to Trey.
He reminds her so much of Asea.
Curiosity, childishness, treating inanimate objects and 2D characters as living beings, not overly suffocating positivity, believing that the world is shitty but it still is beautiful. Did she miss her that much or she's just drawn to people who have their own world and think everything is still shitty and still beautiful? Maybe because she always strives to be good, to be kind, and to be the best, and sometimes she fails and fucks up and there's Asea who's there believing she still is and always be the best.
Someone who appreciates her wholeheartedly, without question, even beyond reason. Then, Trey Perez existed as another breath of fresh air for her.
She always wonders why she feels so comfortable with him. Why is it so easy for her to quote-unquote embarrass herself just to make him smile and yet, she wasn't thinking twice about it? It will take her a month or two before she can slowly show someone her humor and the few more words she refuses to voice out, afraid that she might hurt someone again but...Trey's just different.
It wasn't even about Asea anymore. It's just Trey who can tell everyone that he knows he's handsome so don't bother trying. Trey who everyone sees as a simpleton yet a child who understands and appreciates without judgment even if it doesn't make sense anymore. Trey who isn't the first person they would ask for help in homework but is the first person they know would be willing to jump off the bridge just to prove they're best friends forever.
Trey would look at her like everything she says matters and (even if anyone else never made her believe) look at her as if she's the most precious star he ever laid his eyes on.
She doesn't want to believe but his unwavering gaze never faltered, and he never gave her a chance to doubt him.
He's staring too much and she finally feels the temperature getting warmer. "You're more beautiful than Blossom, actually." He nodded as if he's sure of it. And she's not one for compliments but she's sure her heart just made a little dance it learned after knowing Trey Perez.
🤧🤧🤧
Asea's
Asea raised both her hands to the ceiling to find balance. Careful to touch it with her left hand to avoid too much pressure. Using her index finger, she tapped on the ceiling, confirming it is wood and sounded hallow. "Be careful," Aeria told her as she gets the screwdriver to starts unscrewing the light.
She knows why Roo called her for this aside from the fact that she's tall and not really afraid to get hurt or get her hands dirty for something and she appreciates it but figures there's still time later to thank him for that.
She was unscrewing the second screw when she felt someone standing up in front of her. The action almost made her fall back in shock. And her friends fucking know she's the best victim to getting shocked randomly because she flinches hard and yet they let this happen, fuck. A hand steadied her back, as she regains her balance, his hand quickly retreating.
She puts the screwdriver back to the screw, her eyes flickering on him fast though the scent already gave it away. Mint and a note of cedar. He raised his one hand to balance himself against the ceiling as his other hand held in the closed light itself.
She kinda feels intimidated and uncomfortable in their proximity. She's always thinking about what torture the other people might be in every time they look at her. It always sends her to silent anxiety attacks. And she always tries to get away from people when she can. Bow her head and look away.
Always been it must be torture, I feel bad for making them see this cursed face. Their day must be ruined now. I'm sorry, I'll try not to do it again. Fuck, she might spiral here.
She finished taking the screws off of the lights as he finally comes down with the light. Seeing the small hole it left, she wonders how to break onto it without hammers or saw. Ethan gave her a butcher knife and they all flinched when she just hit the hole the lamp left, breaking it into two. She repeated it until cracks started to appear surrounding the pipe.
Yasser changed her for a while, trying to hack the surrounding ceiling with a butcher knife. It's easy for the arms to get numb so he changed to Trey, then Ourie, then, Azrael until there's a big enough hole for a person to fit through.
"Okay. Who's going to go up?" Fiona asked. Roo motioned to himself. Someone who's able to lift themselves up and yet light enough to not make the whole ceiling crash down to them. Roo lifted his hands on the edge and Em spoke. "The wood could scrape your skin, be careful, Roo." Roo lifted himself up, his arms above the ceiling floor, but now, his feet have to go up.
"Wait. Oh fuck." Roo lost balance and fell back at the kitchen counter making Asea laugh heartily. "Asea, you're so rude." Jace who's trying not to laugh out loud, too, told Asea whose back of her hand is covering her mouth as Roo frowned and get off of the kitchen counter.
"Why." Ethan asked and Roo was supposed to answer but Asea who's staring at the hole Roo was on, muttered, "A spider fell on his arm."
"It was a tarantula! Who wouldn't freak out about that?" Roo defended. "Don't laugh. Em, you're the lightest, you do it!" Em's eyes widened, made her question why she even laughed at their eldest's misfortune. "No. I'll fall." And her asthma might flare up with all the hideouts of the spiders there, or cobwebs, so no thanks. "Fiona? Aeria?" Trey asked.
Fiona shook her head. "I know I wouldn't be able to lift myself up," Fiona said as Aeria smirked then said. "Have you seen me?" Yasser's eyebrows raised. "I can lift you so don't even start, Aeria." Aeria pursed her lips at that. Fuck, she forgot alphas exist in this household. My bad, my bad. "No thanks, I might die early. Asea loves exploring, let her." She told them as Asea held on to Jace's nape as a poor attempt to make him lift her. "Asea, I won't be able to lift you higher."
"I want to try it--"
"I'll help you up," Trey said. "You can stand on Yasser's shoulders and I'll make sure you won't fall." She blinked fast, considering it. "Are you sure?" She's not used to getting lifted, especially because she's on a bit taller spectrum among girls and has a medium build, unlike Em who's fitting to be lifted because of her stature. So, it's weird to have alphas who can lift her singlehandedly without thinking about her weight.
"Yeah. Sure. Don't worry." Yasser smiled, assuring her it's fine. Yasser climbed up the kitchen counter as Ethan's eyes narrowed. Yasser can feel her nervousness when she held on to his shoulder. "Don't get nervous--"
"I'm not."
"Azrael should do it," Ethan said suddenly. Azrael's eyebrows raised. "What, why me?"
"Yasser has a shoulder injury. Ourie has a wrist injury. Trey's nervous because of those injuries." Asea lightly slapped his back, frowning. "Yasser, you can't. Don't force yourself, down." She told in a scolding, gentle manner as Yasser followed.
"Why not you?" Azrael said, hating it already. Ethan smirked. "Oh, I will, if you can't." Ethan's great at provoking Azrael into doing things. Asea wanted to just go dig a hole and cry in there. Azrael hates her, he wouldn't let her fall now because everyone's watching. Or maybe he'll make her fall just to avenge his wounded ego and will say, oops, my hand slipped, sorry. Bullshit.
But no, she relaxed and tried not to think of anything. He's taller than her and his pheromones are gentle and calm today. I want to hug him just to bury myself on his pheromones because my inner omega loves the mint, that's all. But no, she wouldn't do that because she knows he hates her. He might bash her head on the toilet bowl, she won't even try.
"Calm down," Trey assured her, the comforting sea breeze and firewood enveloping her for a while. Ah fuck. Why is he kind to her. He should just continue flirting with Em, she doesn't mind since he seemed to be the nicest here. Unlike this glasses guy here.
"When I lift you up, hold on Azrael's hands and step over his shoulders, okay?" He whispered and she swallowed, hating the fact that she now knows why Em's fond of this guy. A gentleman at its very core. She looked up and held on to Azrael's shoulder and she almost did an overtake. Fuck, it's hard.
She thought it's just a facade, lifting a little to look like he's strong. But then, alphas can be strong even if their outward appearance's not that bulkier. No one's bulky in here but they're not lean, they seemed to be gym patrons. And holding on to his shoulder made her hate alphas even more for being perfect. And mint. That's it, that's why he's perfect. Wait what.
Trey guided her on top of his knee as he held on to her waist. "It doesn't hurt?" She asked, minding his knee. "No. Are you ready?" She hummed as a response, Azrael's hands waiting for her. She held on to his hands and she noted how it enveloped her smaller ones tight. She felt insecure, feeling her not-so-soft hand against his. "One, two, three."
She stepped over Azrael's shoulder, then to the other as she almost lost her balance. Before Azrael can steady her on his shoulders, she held on the floor of the ceiling and just lifted herself away from him. That was...actually something to be proud of.
She looked around and saw that it really seemed like an attic. It's wide and full of cobwebs. No windows. And smelled really weird and deathly. Like a country of mice decided to poop at the same time, that. A room can fit here and the head space's just a couple of inches higher than her height. "Asea, flashlight." Yasser called. She sat down and reached for the flashlight on the hole they made. She's sure she would have scratched her legs if she's not wearing jogging pants on how jarred the edges of the hole they did.
"What can you see?" Roo asked. She sweeps the flashlight around when it glanced at a white thing. She puts it back as she almost screamed loud, but her throat got frozen as she stepped back. Her foot scratching a rough space, making the skin sting and crack open.
"Asea? Asea! What is it?" Roo's panicked voice asked. Her flashlight stayed pointing there. A pile of dirty white scattered parts of a human skeleton. The spiders were living on its every rib. A metal plate near it, rotten apple cores. Metal clamps laying on either side.
"Asea, what the fuck's happening?" Azrael asked.
Her flashlight moved up and there, written the words,
ROT IN HERE
She stood up and quickly swept the whole floor and realized, there's no way the skeleton would have gotten here except he was stuck here while the attic's being made. He was trapped here to die.