& / ( devil town ) .

ABBOTT, W. / MCDERMA, M. / ROJO, N.

MOMO SHOWS UP TO HALF-MOON as she normally would; a pastel whirlwind, basically bursting through the front door in her skates. “ morning, morning syd !! ” the blonde calls out as she rolls past her co-worker to head to her station. “ aw, and hiya gabe !! ” she chimes out to the man. her pink backpack is plopped down onto her station as she takes a very generous sip of her sugary iced coffee. “ how’re we feeling ?? like, i finally finished re-arranging my room from the last time i re-arranged it, and like, i feel so empowered now !! we should give half moon a makeover, i think that’d be fun !! ”

IT’S A BLESSING AND A CURSE TO be so in tune with someone and their feelings. while being able to read her tells and signals like he could breathe air was a talent, it meant there was nothing he could hide from minnie, either. “ it’s not humiliating. jasper isn’t the type to even judge that kind of thing. now stop that, you’re overthinking it. ” wilbur urges her in an attempt to stop her from spiraling any further. the simple touch between them brings an oddly large amount of relief, teeth digging into the inside of his cheek. “ she.. i guess she seemed upset over something, too. it was weird, we hugged. ” that wasn’t the point though, now was it ?? his eyes close, and he feels his chest tightening all over again, teetering on the edge of another panic attack when minnie squeezes his hand. it’s impeccable timing, yet at this point, wil shouldn’t be surprised. “ you.. you can’t tell anyone. ” brown eyes open to meet his best friend’s, gaze searching hers for more comfort, “ because if you tell someone, and that someone tells someone else, and my dad hears.. ” wilbur’s sinking again, and he might as well just get on with it— “ i made out with someone at the point. a guy, from out of town. ” cris was hardly some guy, not even before they kissed. but to admit to kissing a reaper ?? somehow, that seemed even worse.

HEARING THAT SHE WAS DISTRAUGHT definitely made it even more difficult to stay angry with her. “ jewel.. ” wilbur starts and then immediately stops when she begins to ramble. he tries, he really does, to follow along with what she’s saying, up until she reveals the cake and the chickenscratch icing work along with it. “ oh my god. ” is all the blonde says when she’s finished talking, finally looking back to her with the slightest hint of amusement and underlying concern in his gaze, “ you look.. so pathetic right now. ” his tone is of an endearing nature, sighing softly at the sight. he opens up the door wider for her at that, arms opening in an offering for a hug. “ i don’t hate you, just so you know. ”

HE ALMOST WANTS TO SCOFF AT her name and how fitting it was for her. she definitely read as a jewel. her at a surface level was sparkly and polished, but he could tell there was something a bit deeper than that. similar to any precious jewel, she was more than likely stronger than she appeared. underestimating anyone in coyote point wasn’t a great idea. “ we can start wherever you want, joya. ” red replies with an easy smile, as she takes off to the front. his boss would probably castrate him for flirting with yet another customer, but it’s not like it can be helped. not when jewel’s looking at him like that. the ‘offer’ makes him laugh, shaking his head knowingly. “ wow, you wanna take me home already ?? ” he walks around to behind the counter, arms resting onto the surface. “ i’m flattered. —how about this, ” red snags his beaten up journal that was laying nearby, flipping through the various filled pages before finding one of the rare blank spaces. his number is scribbled out in his spidery handwriting before it’s ripped unceremoniously from the book. “ if you really feel like you need an extra set of hands, feel free to text me. i’d be more than happy to help out in any way i can. ”

EVERYTHING’S BEEN A MESS as of late, at least in his mind. there’s plenty of reasons for wilbur to be so distracted, however the biggest one was the person he was currently waiting for. when wil returned home after the last time he’d ‘seen’ cris, he had a complete meltdown. it didn’t help to receive a call from his father, worried that either someone saw him, or that his father  could sense the golden boy’s shame from across the city. shame. he’s not even sure if that’s the right word for what he’s feeling. all wilbur does know is that the sensation comes on in waves, thinking one moment that he’s made peace with it, and the next.. wilbur’s drowning in his own thoughts again and he knows it. another thing that he does know is that undeneath the negative thoughts laid a simple truth. when wil kissed cris— because yes, he kissed him— it felt right. different, but right. so he sits out in the cold, prefering to risk being spotted over letting go of whatever thing he may have had with cristian. 

wilbur: yes i want one, thanks

wilbur: ..yeah, i like chicken, why?

wilbur: we could meet at the point again?

red: omg no way that's so sick ahah...... i'm dying to know....... i'm counting down the seconds until u show me.......

HE SENSES THAT HESITATION IN minnie’s voice, and he almost laughs in disbelief. “ so.. okay, wait. ” he knows of the heartache minnie had felt, considering the fact he’d been there to help her through it. “ i mean, you don’t really want me to answer that. —a lot’s happened since you guys split. ” wilbur learned quickly not to bring him up to her in the years since their break up. his and jasper’s friendship was already a fickle and secretive thing with the social divide, let alone both of their relationships to minnie. “ well, i mean.. it would be kind of messy for you two to sleep together, yeah.. but you also kind of went jealous ex there for a second. are you like.. still hung up on him ?? ” the question gets turned onto him, and he supresses a groan of frustation. “ i.. uh.. it was fine. —ran into angel. ” the blonde cringes inwardly, slipping his wrist from her grasp to anxiously toy with minnie’s fingers. “ she caught me at a bad time.. i was having a not-so great moment over something that happened like, a week ago. which is a stupid thing to do, but yeah. ”

IT’S NO SECRET THAT HE’S BEEN distant from the myoungs, both for the same yet different reason. minding his own business isn’t something wilbur is great at. but if it meant he could hold a grudge at the same time ?? he went radio silent, upset that jewel had told minnie of their.. dynamic without giving him a fraction of a heads up. wil’s having a nice day in, winning a race the night prior meant a reward of drinking a stupidly expensive bottle of wine. typically this would be done with friends, but instead he now wallows in self-pity rather than inviting anyone over to celebrate. there’s a knock on his door and a feeling of confusion hits him. reluctantly he stands, trudging over to the door to open it. and who but the one person he was hoping it wouldn’t be, jewel, standing in front of him with.. a cake ?? honestly, being mad at someone was way easier when they weren’t in your face. “ —jewel. ” it replaces his usual warm greeting, though the act somewhat softens when he notices her puffy eyes. “ ..what is it ?? ”

THE HOLIDAYS ARE IN FULL SWING, and though it always stings to not have his mom around, he’s grateful to have his second family to spend time with. the santa hat he’s currently wearing jingles as he turns his head to look at jasper, chuckling. “ honestly, i look forward to this bakesale every year, dude. those christmas tree cakes are calling my name. ” it could be that or how high he is, but it’s really anybody’s guess. red takes a sip of his hot chocolate, brightening up when the person ahead of them finishes making their purchases. “ here, you go first. i can’t promise i’ll hold you back from buying literally everything, though. ”

“ FIRST OF ALL, WE AREN’T FRIENDS, so write that down. ” red tells him, as if it were obvious and known information. “ we’re besties. if you don’t start changing it up, i might never come back one day. ” the mood turns a bit sour at the mention of maribel, nodding before clearing his throat. “ ah, that’s cool of you to do. sure it’ll turn out sick. —sucks that you gotta have permits for something like that, though. ..did you know her ?? ”

“ I’M NOT CALLING YOU ANYTHING. but if you think that applies to you.. not exactly my fault, is it ?? ” she stands so stubbornly despite her small stature, another dead giveaway to confidence she just oozes. he’s being eyed, though red hardly minds her leaning in close to read his name tag. “ —not my real name. just what people call me. ” it’s explained as more of a knee-jerk reaction, learning his lesson many times before to avoid the ‘oh, your parents must be hippies’ conversation. “ uh, yeah, totally. ” red chuckles, stopping his search briefly to watch her essentially frolic to the front of the store. the aura is confusing, and red finds himself becoming more and more determined to solve the puzzle that was this girl. he rejoins her, placing the rest of the records onto the counter. “ been here as long as i have, so uh.. my educated guess is maybe a little over a decade. it’s nicer than the one i have at home, so watch it. ” he leans onto the counter, watching her expectantly with entertained blue hues, “ you do know how to work a record player, don’t you ?? ”

wilbur: but.. we could still do something? you around later tonight?