she/her. I love writing

READER'S POV

After a long day of college all you wanted to do was go home and take a nice warm bath.

Almost every day before going home, you and Crowe said goodbye to each other and maybe talked for a couple of minutes. It was a nice change to your otherwise lonely existence. Since you didn't have any other friends in this school, maybe you had a few coworkers that you occasionally talked to, you didn't socialize as much as you should've. Throughout your teenage years you always heard how your 20’s would’ve been the best years of your life: parties, friends, sleepovers, vacations…yet none of that was given to you.

Instead, you spent afternoons inside your home, watching something, studying, playing video games, activities that didn't involve putting yourself out there. This is why you were utterly thankful for your best friend, Crowe, who would often pull you out of your comfort zone, though he wasn’t a risk taker either so you wouldn’t get pulled into anything too crazy.

When you leave your last class, biology, which ended at 5pm, you don't really think he would still be here, until you overhear someone talk about a student council meeting.

You are standing in line at the vending machine, hoping to get a little snack or a fizzy drink to soothe your thirst, when you hear two people, who you have seen at the council office before, talk about the latest meeting.

“I don't know what's up with him. He's been making such rash decisions lately. He used to be so collected! Man couldn’t even pay full attention to today’s meeting.” one of them says.

“Well, I don't know. I always knew that he wasn't as “high and princely” as people said. Ichabod had always been rather eccentric..” As soon as those words leave their mouth you can’t help but feel angry. You also noticed Crowe’s sloppiness lately, and how at times he seemed to be in a different world, but that was no reason for anyone to judge him.

What could he have done that was so “rash” and “eccentric”. These words were rather overdramatic in your opinion.

To be honest, all you wanted to do was go home and isolate yourself from the rest of the world, seeking comfort in your bed, but you couldn’t shake off the ever-building worry in your chest.

Sure, Crowe had always overworked himself, but things seemed to be getting worse these days. Before this, you could just assume he was a workaholic, but now it seemed to be taking a toll on his mental health.

He was a collected and proper man, always payed attention, had notes, ideas.. at least that's how he come across to everyone.

Since you became best friends, you couldn't shake off the feeling there was something he wasn't telling you, maybe because he didn't want to burden you further. But you couldn't just let him go through it alone, since he had always been there for you.

You grab a pair of chocolate muffins and head straight to the council office. Ignoring pretty much everyone around you, including the guy telling you that Jericho isn’t seeing anyone at the moment, you walked up to his office and gently knocked.

”Yes, come in.” A slightly muffled voice can be heard from the other side of the door and dear lord, he sounds exhausted.

You open the door slightly, peaking in. When Crowe notices you he immediately stands up and walks over to you, giving you a warm hug.

”Hey…I thought you already went home..” your voice is slightly muffled as you speak into his shoulder. His scent and steady hold on you never fails to make you melt into his arms, oh how you wish you could snuggle up agaisnt him every day.

”well there was an “emergency” meeting we had to do… I wanted to go home but I had to be there” he says, snapping you out of your thoughts “I'll be done soon, I just need 5 more minutes.”

”You sure work a lot these days..” you try to subtly hint at the subject you want to talk about, you don't want to be too straightforward as whenever he realizes you're worried about him he always changes topics.

”Well it's the beginning of the year so there are a lot of things that have to be solved.. It should calm down in a few weeks” he explains.

You put the muffin down on his desk as he sits down, taking a form he has to fill out from his drawer.

”Thank you, you really didn't have to though..” in contrast to his words he immediately picks up the muffin and starts munching on it “do you want to do something after I'm done?”

”Sure… we could go for a walk if you want to.” You sit down on a padded stool nearby his desk. “But.. Aren't you a little tired?”

”No, no. Well, never too tired for you” as he throws you a wink you can't help but your heart skips a beat. While you're sure he's just being playful, it makes you weak.

He finishes the rest of his work and you go on a walk together. It's 5:30 by that time, so the sun isn't exactly setting but there is a hit of orange on the horizon.

The walk is quiet, but not awkward. You slightly fidget with the hem of your shirt, wondering whether you should bring up the conversation you overheard or not.

Crowe stares down at his feet, he seems to be just as lost in thought as you are. You really wish you could see into his head, know what he was thinking.

He always solved everyone's problems, you already came to that conclusion when you talked to his friends for the first time, more Jess, Deryl and Britney.

”Hey.. Crowe? Did something happen on the meeting?” You turn to him.

”Hm? No..well, I made some mistakes but it's alright, let's not get into that right now. How was your day?” He forces a smile, clearly not wanting you to worry about him.

”You kind of…look out of it. You know you can always talk to me right? I want to know…but you don't have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable.” you extend a hand and rub his arms. He slightly shudders at the sudden touch.

”well Deryl is .. he just needed my help with some classes as he has been training really hard, he's going to have a competition next weekend, so I offered to tutor him a little, since he kind of fell behind. And.. I completely forgot to send in a proposal to the principal on the upcoming Halloween ball…and the whole thing might have to be rescheduled..” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes slightly gleamed, as if he was tearing up But nothing actually came out.

”Well .. that sucks but.. everyone makes mistakes.. don't be so hard on yourself” whenever you try to comfort him or take care of him it feels so…awkward? Unnatural? You can't quite name the exact feeling but it almost makes you wonder the reason he rejects it so much is because he never got it growing up.

”You want to sit down on that bench? Seems quite a relaxing spot” -he says, before you can come up with anything to say.

You sigh a little but eventually agree, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. You two sit down on a bench that's secluded from any roads or people in general honestly. This was another thing you and Crowe shared, you were both into quiet spaces where you could just enjoy each others company without any interruptions.

He pulls out a packet of your favourite snack, opening it and handing it to you.

You can't help but burst out laughing. He looks at you a little surprised but smiles nonetheless.

”What?” He chuckles.

”When we were at lunch today you told Deryl you didn't have any snacks, where you lying?” You accuse him, wiping your tears.

”Well.. I didn't mean to lie .. I bought these for you, since I know they're your favourite. He would've inhaled them in a second” there isn't any malice in his voice, more amusement.

”Okay .. at least you gave him some of your lunch. That's nice of you though..well, thank you I mean.”

Other than the fact the he was always there for you, him looking out for you with smaller gestures like this made your heart swell with so many emotions.

”Anything for you..” His voice lowers slightly and for a moment he looks down at your lip, though the gesture is almost unnoticeable.

You share your snack with him, and go on to talk about various topics, as you usually do. He asks you hypothetical questions, he almost always does this when you're together. You get the sense that this is his way of getting to know you even better. And honestly it feels good to have someone be so interested in your life, as not many people care.

”maybe we should head back, let me walk you to your apartment.” He offers and you instantly agree.

You remember Hyugo telling you that you should always have someone walk you home, he sounded really serious and insistent about it, which meant it was probably important.

When you finally reach your apartment, he waves at you a little bit and starts walking away until you suddenly reach out for his hand and tug on it. He looks down at your now joined hand and looks up at you, confused but not irritated at all.

You hesitate a little, late at night all your sorrows come back to you and you always get a little melancholic. With your bills, debt, studying and constant stress, Crowe was always a rare clarity in your life. He made you feel stable like no one else had ever done so. Even when you barely have money, confidence or don't know what to do he is always there to guide you.

Unlike anyone else in your life he never even attempted to leave or break that stability. He is one of the busiest people you know if not the busiest, yet he still made time for you.

Of course he wasn't a perfect man. Sometimes he made you do things without realizing, like when he introduced you to his friend group without telling you first. But you knew he had good intentions so you kind of let that slide.

If you had the chance, you would marry him on the spot. Oh, how you wish you could be his stability too, his partner in everything.

You pull him into a tight hug and bury your face into him, his smell is so comforting it’s almost dizzying. He wraps his arms around your waist, there is something almost desperate about the way he holds you.

”Please don't shut me out Crowe.. I am here to help you, and I want to. Of course I'm not forcing anything, but you can tell me what's on your mind. You're always here for me and you make my life so much better.. I want to do the same for you.” you say without pulling away.

Crowe doesn't say anything for a second, and you look up at him. For a moment you fear that maybe you made him uncomfortable or pushed too hard, bringing up something he was clearly not ready to talk about. But instead of annoyance, you see a slight frown on his face, his eyes a little gleamy as they look down on you.

”You don't know how much that means to me.. you truly are so wonderful” he whispers.

The intimate gesture stuns you for a second before you smile at him and pull away.

”And so are you.”

”I.. I'll take it into consideration. Good night for now.” finally, he smiles back.

Then, he leaves and you go into your apartment, finally having time to get some rest.

CROWE'S POV

-the next day-

The whole day Crowe was occupied with various different things, he barely had any time to rest. He woke up at 7 am, and noticing that his mother was already in an even worse mood then usual, he didn't speak to her.

In the shower he felt kind of numb, he washed his back with soap and stared at the wall tiles. Despite him sleeping well, he was exhausted, going over all of his assignments and council tasks over again to make sure he won't forget anything.

He barely had any time to take a moment to rest the whole day, going from classes to doing council work to writing homework, taking calls and helping a couple of other people out. He didn't have any time to see you all day, which upset him quite a lot.

Yet you were always somewhat at the back of his mind, especially what you said yesterday before parting.

Knowing he had a lot of work left to do even at home, he decided to text you that sadly he could not meet up with you today but would definitely make it up to you tomorrow.

He felt guilty, as if he was letting you down or not paying enough attention to you. You seemed understanding through text, but he couldn't tell if you were actually okay with it or just being nice.

When he got home he put down his backpack and went to his kitchen as his mother yelled for him.

”Jericho!” his mother yells.

Crowe goes downstairs, expecting the usual quiet but not necessarily uncomfortable silence to await him once he starts eating. Instead, he is met with his mother leaning agaisnt the kitchen table with her arms crossed.

”I think there is something that we have to discuss” she says expectantly.

”Right. I know I left kind of a mess in my room this morning, I had an early meeting in university. I'll get to it in a second, mother.” He sighs, but to his surprise his mom shakes her head.

”No, Jericho. Thats not what I was reffering to. From ceirtain…sources, I have heard about your..fling.”

He pauses at that. Fling? What could she be talking about? There wasn't anyone like that, and Crowe wasn't the type of man to just have a one night stand and move on. Of course there was you, but you weren't a fling.

”There aren't any…flings.” He mutters.

”Don't lie. That person.. the one you're always with. Around campus and sometimes around certain parks and parts of the time, don't think I'm an idiot.” she rolls her eyes.

Instead of confusion, Crowe felt an unshakable anger rise in his chest. It wasn't the first time his mother found out who he was friends with or talked to no, but he was 23 years old at this point. It definitely didn't help that he was extremely protective of you.

“Oh, yeah. That's my best friend.” He says indifferently.

”Best friend. Do you hold hands with all of your friends?” she definitely wasn't letting it go at this point.

”Mother-” he says with an inhale, before being cut off by her.

“I am deeply disappointed in you. I have noticed a slight drop in your grades, I didn't think you were hiding a whole relationship from me. I can see the way you are with them. You're NOT a teenager anymore, you shouldn't indulge in such childish acts. Though I can't say I don't quite understand why you were ashamed of a person like that.” she rents endlessly.

While Crowe could usually take it, this time he couldn't help himself but be angry. He was trying his best to get good grades, be presentable and do good as student representative, and this is how they appreciate it? But wait. Did he hear that last part correctly?

“I'm sorry?” he asks quietly but with a bitter tone.

“They are clearly lower class, they work at a pretty run down café and I can't even imagine where they must live. They aren't put together, from how it looks like, and they're clearly distracting you. Now I can't tell you what to do anymore, but as long as you live under my roof you will try your best. And that leaves no room for silly relationships” as she says all of that, crowe's eyebrows raise and furrow, he grits his teeth and is clear he is doing everything to hold himself from saying something he would regret later on.

“That's enough! You don't know what they mean to me. They… I do EVERYTHING I can to satisfy you and I don't get a damn hug for fuck’s sake!” He practically yells at her at this point.

His mother's eyes widen, Crowe never dared yell at her before. Of course, he talked back sometimes in his teens but she always made sure to punish him. He didn't stop though.

“I don't care if they are lower class or.. how do you even know what Café they work at? Why are you staling me and my friends?” He asks genuinely

“Do you think I'm that stupid? It's obvious you're not just friends!” She attempts to raise her voice even more than him.

“Okay, yes, I love them! They're kind, and wonderful, and they're always here for me! The fact that they're not part of the higher class or want to be is so…human of them. They're.. always there to talk, to just hang out or anything. You have no right to hate them for that just because you're so stuck up that-”

Once again his rent is interrupted, this time by a sharp hit across his face. He reaches to his left cheek where she hit him, and holds it slightly. It burns, but not as much as her lack of compassion

“you’re losing track of what's important. Keep it together.” She says and then walks off.

Crowe 🐦‍⬛

If you mean how he would react to MC playing yandere visual novels I think he wouldn't be too weirded out by it, he would ask you questions and maybe even look the games up in curiosity. If the games were very sick (like boyfriend to death) I think he would be a little concerned and would ask you why you enjoy it, but judging by how he reacted to Jess' crush on Eries I don't think he thinks fictional / idol crushes are weird.

However if you were attached to/ kept mentioning a character like Ren from 14dwy for example, he would definitely get a little jealous as he would think that's your type and well let's be honest he is nothing like Ren. He would ask you about it and if you said Ren or even redacted is your type then he'd get pouty like in the scene with Eries.

If you said you just liked the trope and enjoyed the game he would not mind at all.

If he somehow broke the 4th wall and would realize that not MC but you as the player play yandere visual novels then his heart would break as he would realize he's only one of many characters for you and nothing more.

Sol 🎃 (I know you didn't ask for this but yeah)