SWEET LIKE HONEY.

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Candy liked to think that she had a great relationship with her girls from high school, especially the ones from the glee club – that’s why she didn’t see any problem in asking Otto to move in with her, even if Candy hadn’t even talked to her in about two years, but high school friendships were forever either way, right? As Otto talked about coffee, Candy just shook her head with a smile on her face – she did like Otto, she was talented and she knew what she wanted, Candy loved seeing that on people and she had never even had argued with her. “I’m good, thanks.” She said with a nod, before raising an eyebrow at her. “Well, if you did see it, why didn’t you like it? Either way, it’s not important… Just thought we were friends, that’s all.” Candy said – she took social media very seriously, so she was hoping that Otto would end up liking the posts she made every once in a while.

“I’m moving in, for good. Well, not for good, you know? I don’t want to stay around whenever you and Michael start having beautiful ginger kids, but… For a while.” Candy said, raising an eyebrow when Otto asked if they could talk about – she wasn’t sure what there was to talk about, it wasn’t like there was anyone living in there, but she could at least talk about it with her new roommate. “Sure, what is there to talk about? Let’s see… I’ve been partying a lot lately, so of course I’ll need a key to the place for whenever I go out. I definitely don’t want to hear you and Michael having sex, so you’ll have to warn me when he comes over. And since I have no idea how to cook, I’m just guessing that you’ll take care of that and I can pay for the takeout we order from time to time. And of course, I’ll pay half the rent, that’s not really a problem to me.” Candy rambled, hoping that it would be enough for Otto to let her live there – after all, it wasn’t like she had anywhere else to say and while she could have probably asked Link to stay with him, Candy wasn’t ready to share a house with two snakes.

.

“I vow to always like your posts from now on,” Otto said with a warm smile before she was taking a sip from her coffee cup to try and hide the rolling of her eyes. This whole situation was so perfectly Lima, Ohio. It was a strange phenomenon that Otto was sure only occurred with people from small towns (or just the Motta family) but there was something so sitcom-y about Candy’s actions right now. And it was so perfectly her that Otto couldn’t even find it inside of her to be mad about things. It wasn’t until she was bringing up her and Michael’s future children that Otto was choking on her coffee and setting her cup down on the nearest counter so she could try and pull herself together. Of course, she was able to hear Candy’s rules for moving in with her. It was funny. This whole situation was ridiculous in just the way that Otto had missed about the overbearing nature of Ohioans. 

“Is there anything else you request?” Otto asked with a tilting of her head and an amused look on her face. Running her hands through her long, flowing hair, Otto cleared her throat. “I can manage the key, but you have to understand that a... lot of people have keys to this place. No one creepy but you know, I have friends. I can...,” a pause. “Text you whenever Michael is planning on spending the night. Or that stupid sock on the door thing, I don’t know.” Otto laughed, her entire end of the sentence sounding more like a fit of laughter than anything else. “I can cook a couple things, but take out has become my new best friend. I have a spare room, but there’s a lot of stuff in there right now. You know, for my YouTube videos, but I can always move... stuff over there,” Otto said, waving off to the corner of the living room. Otto was flexible, and she hoped with everything inside of her that she could be flexible enough to swing all of Candy’s demands. “Is it my turn to lay some rules down?” Another pause. “No parties unless I approve the guest list. I don’t need names, just a number. The landlord is a weird stickler for the fire code rules and I’m not looking to have a bad relationship with him.” Otto paused before she was shrugging her shoulders. “That’s it, actually.”

.

Candy didn’t expect to be in New York, but that was what life was about – unexpected things happening all the time. Candy had decided to stay in a hotel room until she found somewhere to stay, but the truth is that a few days had passed and she was still rotting away in her hotel room. It had to change – especially after her conversation with Frankie had gone south, Candy needed some friends in New York. Luckily for her, everyone that she knew back in Lima had seemed to have ended up in the Big Apple, so when she saw that Otto was still around the city, she didn’t waste any time in packing her bag and getting out of that hotel, as she made her way towards Otto’s place. Candy wasn’t even sure how she had gotten the other’s address in the first place – she couldn’t remember if she had asked Michael about it or if Otto had been the one to send it while she was off in LA, but she had it somehow. “Your driving sucks!” Candy shouted to the taxi driver as she got out of the car, slamming the door and dragging her luggage with her as she made her way inside of the building. After knocking on the door a couple of times, she smiled when she saw Otto.

“Hey girl! You look good!” Candy said with a small smile, as she made her way inside of the small apartment – it definitely wasn’t what Candy was used to, but it would be enough for now. As the other offered coffee, she shook her head with a smile. “No thanks, I don’t drink New York water, I’ve heard too many things about it.” Candy said, as she looked around for a while, before her eyes were landing back on Otto. “Haven’t you seen my Instagram? You should keep up, I’ve been here for about a week now.” She said with a nod, before taking a seat on the other’s couch and crossing her legs. “Where’s Michael? Either way, I have great news! I’m moving in with you! Surprise!” Candy said as she clapped her hands a couple of times, before waiting for the other’s reaction.

.

Otto’s friendship with Candy had always been... as good as a friendship could be within the realms of a high school show choir group. She couldn’t remember a time in which they had genuinely hung out together, but life after high school had been kind enough to Otto for her to be as open minded as possible about the connections she was making. Besides, Candy was harmless in her eyes. After closing the door, Otto turned around to meet Candy’s gaze once more, laughing lightly at her words. “I have some bottled water if you’re still wanting coffee,” she began, waltzing her way into the kitchen. With Otto living on her own and free from any kind of stigma of her close relationship with her twin, she had been finding out a lot about herself. She wasn’t the best decorator, but her small space was more than enough to make her feel proud of everything that she had created. Otto took a sip from her coffee cup, trying to think about what kind of negatives she had ever heard about the water in New York City - and if she was even following Candy’s Instagram anymore. “Oh right, right. I remember seeing that now,” she lied, but the smile on her lips was enough to hopefully be believable. 

She was about to gush about Michael but Candy was quickly sweeping the rug out from under her feet, nearly making her choke on her coffee. “Wait what?” She asked with a weak smile, tilting her head to the side in confusion. “You’re like, moving in moving in with me or just... staying for a couple days?” It could be a good thing, really. Otto was always spending time at her apartment, and maybe a roommate would be a nice sprinkle into her days. However, with the... large amount of keys she had already given out to her closest friends and the open door policy that she had? She wasn’t sure if Candy was going to want to move in. “Are we able to talk about this or is it... just a done deal?” Otto had always been a bit of a welcome mat whenever it came to people in her life. She might have learned the art of growing a back bone since she had been living on her own, but was she really going to say no to a homeless Candy Motta?

“I’m out,” Otto said with a big cheesy grin, knowing that her co worker was in for a night of pain if the same guy that had been chatting her ear off for the last twenty minutes caught interest in her. Within no time, Otto had grabbed her jacket before she was escaping through the side ‘employees only’ door and nearly stumbling into Michael. She squealed before she was wrapping her arms around his waist, sighing in happiness at finally feeling like she was where she belonged. “Hi,” she said sheepishly, keeping her arms wrapped around his waist as she rested her chin against his chest and looked up at him. “I have to film tonight but do you wanna spend the night?” Sometimes it paid so much to have her own apartment, especially whenever Michael’s place in her bed seemed like a near nightly occurrence lately. “You can like, I dunno, play on my PC or something.” Otto had spent... quite the small fortune on PC and gaming equipment in a way to try and feel closer to Ophie. It hadn’t worked and quite frankly, the gaming equipment was starting to gather dust. @michaelchangiii​

Nothing could have prepared her for who she saw - Candy Motta.

“Candy!” Otto exclaimed with a wide smile, trying to think about on how long it had been since she had last seen her. She was sure she had seen her at a couple parties after graduation, but other than that, she was drawing a blank. The girl had always had big dreams, so perhaps she had been out living them. “You’re in New York? How did I miss that?” She asked with a friendly smile as her eyes followed down Candy’s body and clocked the baggage that she had in tow with her. It was weird, definitely, but so was Candy’s antics most times. Regardless, she opened her door wider as an invitation. “Come in! I just made a pot of coffee if you want some?” @candymotta​

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“That’s what I said! But she was still really mean…” Joey rambled for a few seconds, before deciding to drop that whole subject all together – after all, it wasn’t that important either way. As he walked down the hall with Otto, Joey couldn’t help but to think how this could be one of the last times that this would happen. Everyone Joey was close to was graduating, and even though they weren’t all that close, he considered Otto to be a great friend. “I’m sure things will be fine between the two of you… Plus, he’s totally hot. So you got lucky.” Joey whispered to Otto, making sure that no one else around them would hear it, letting out a small chuckle as the two kept strolling around the school, not even sure where they were even headed – they still had time, so it didn’t matter. At Otto’s question, Joey raised an eyebrow as he thought a little about it. Gone were the days where Joey would show up at Jake and Xan’s dance classes only to tease Xan, but every time he thought about it, he couldn’t help but to chuckle at how insignificant those fights had been now that he was with Xan. “Well, we met in freshman year… We were both in Glee Club and then we got into a fight because of a solo, which I won and after that, he confronted me about it and we made out…” Joey rambled, before deciding to focus on Otto’s question instead of explaining their whole story. “But around two or three years. We figured that we had feelings for each other last year, we decided to hang out more times and then after a month or so, we were dating.” He said with a nod, smiling at Otto, knowing that his relationship had been a little too much at the start, but now it was definitely better. “Okay, cool! Maybe the two of you could come together to Fondue for Two… I think that could be fun. But don’t tell him that I was the one who asked you to do it… It has to seem like your idea.” He said with a nod, as he kept walking with Otto, smiling at her. “I think so, but I think it would be pretty funny if we ended up on the cover of the Muckraker. I doubt that JBIJ would do that though, we kind of slept together before.” He said with a nod. “So, where are you going after graduation? Any plans for that?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at the other.

Joey’s brain was always something that Otto had been able to admire. In a world as big and bad as the one they were living in, it was refreshing to have such a kind and innocent take on things. There may not have been intense drama happening, but Joey just tended to make it happen in his own world. It was humorous and entertaining, and one of the reasons why Otto had always had eyes for the man. “He is totally hot,” Otto sighed out before she was groaning. Every single sign pointed in the direction of lifting her barriers and letting Michael in, no matter what the cost was. It would be worth it. As Joey started telling the origin story of his relationship with Xan, she couldn’t help but sigh - over and over again. There was a lot of good that came from their complicated past, but again, complicated wasn’t something that Otto liked to become friendly with. “I’m glad that the two of you were able to have so... many good things this year though. You guys are like, way cute.” Weird, especially since Otto had most likely cried a little whenever she found out that Joey finally had a committed and doting boyfriend, but still. Cute, now. “Joseph, you have the biggest of dreams with this Fondue for Two case,” Otto started with a small chuckle as she squeezed his arm and glanced around at their surroundings. Otto had always had an issue with getting spacey whenever she walked around school and was having a conversation, but luckily, they were only a couple doors down from Joey’s next class. The bell wouldn’t ring for another couple minutes, so they were in luck. “Um, I don’t know yet?” Otto deadpanned, knowing that it was near impossible to have that kind of answer whenever graduation was a couple of months away. “I don’t think I’m going to college though. Or at least, you know, like, taking a break or something. I just wanna sing songs and have a little freedom.” The plan had always been for Otto to join her dad and his band after graduation but with the Michael subject? Traveling up and down the east coast for as long as her dad did wasn’t seeming the most appealing. 

The last thing Michael wanted to do was talk to his mother. His mother’s incessant need to check in on him and Otto throughout the evening was definitely annoying him, but the fact that she’d managed to pop in at the most inopportune moment drove him nuts. He nodded his head along as they made conversation with Tina Chang, although Otto was the one doing most of the talking. His mind was still focused on the bomb he’d dropped and how she’d been unable to respond. He didn’t really know what Otto was going to say. She could have said she wasn’t ready for that type of step just yet, or maybe she was and his mother had come in and completely ruined the moment. A deep sigh left his lips as he mother finally left the room. His gaze stayed focused on Otto as he watched her step over and shut the door. Michael was completely aware of how he felt about Otto. There were no questions about it in his mind, but kicking his nerves and actually putting things into words was a struggle for him. Everyone had questions about them. Both of their families were completely in their business about what was going on between the two of them. And although, he wasn’t completely ready to involve any of them. He knew he was ready to say what he needed to say to Otto. But before he could speak up and say anything, she was already talking. His eyes locked with hers as he let out a deep breath. He followed her every move, the words “ask me” running through his mind. A smile crept onto his face as she lowered back down to sit next to him and took his hand in hers. It felt good. Great, even. To know that she wanted this too. A slightly nervous laugh left his mouth as he paused, trying to muster up the courage to just go for it. “Will you be my girlfriend?” He asked with a small hopeful smile.

If there was one thing in the world that Otto Meeks hated, it was change. It was hard enough having to go through the motions of her day to day without her dad being in the household, but Otto had gotten used to keeping in touch through daily text messages and Facetime calls. Was she seriously ready to graduate from Michael’s best friend to his girlfriend? It was a huge change... but maybe it didn’t have to be. They’d already been acting like they were dating for at least the last month or two, so how was it going to be any different? It wasn’t. Part of her thanked Mrs. Chang for interrupting Michael’s big speech moment. It might have taken the wind out from beneath Michael’s wings, but it gave Otto a moment to think, breathe, and try to maintain her sanity for a little bit longer. She could be ready for this. It was Michael, after all. He had always been a beacon of light and a safe place for her to share her thoughts. As he laughed nervously and prepared himself for whatever words were about to leave his mouth, Otto took him in. He was handsome... like, the kind of teenage heartthrob handsome that Otto was always watching on the movie screens. He was understanding and loving and open with her. He was perfect boyfriend material, which was why whenever Michael finally asked her to be his girlfriend, she smiled. There was no other emotion other than happiness. Biting down on her bottom lip, Otto started nodding her head shallow and slow before she was locking her gaze on his. “I really think I’d like that,” she said with a soft laugh expelling from her body. Otto had had quite the big senior year, but obtaining her first boyfriend... and it being her best friend? It was almost too good to be true. Otto hardly cared if they could get interrupted or walked in on at any moment anymore - she needed to make sure that Michael knew that she was being serious. Without much else of a warning, Otto leaned in before she was kissing him with a lot more fervor than she had before. She could definitely get used to this. “So, should we like, tell your mom whenever she catches us making out or?” Otto laughed softly against his lips as she pulled herself closer to him.

.

“My mom only texts me using emojis… It’s kind of weird to think about that though.” Joey admitted with a small frown, as he started to forget the fact that Otto’s mom was being mean to her. At the other’s question, Joey just shrugged his shoulders at the other, before letting out a small chuckle. “I’m pretty sure that she told me that my dance moves weren’t that good after I recorded myself doing the WAP dance. And we all know that isn’t true.” Joey said with a small chuckle, as he was confident in his dance moves and he didn’t need anyone saying that it wasn’t good enough, because he knew that it was a lie. Seeing Otto pull him closer, Joey smiled at her as the other started talking about what was going on with her and Michael – and of course he was intrigued about that whole situation, mostly because he wanted to know what was happening with his friends at all times, even Michael wouldn’t consider Joey as a friend, he liked to think otherwise. Nodding his head as the other spoke, Joey thought about it for a while before offering some advice. “Aren’t all relationships complicated in the beginning? I mean, Xan and I used to hate each other first… Even if we did sleep together a lot, but it wasn’t the same as it is now.” Joey told the other, trying to offer some advice with her situation – it clearly wasn’t the same, since Michael and Otto actually seemed to like each other a lot, which was always a good sign. At Otto’s question, Joey let out a small chuckle as he nodded his head. “That would be great! Then I could finally try and ask if he wants to go on Fondue for Two and use those thirty minutes to film it.” He said excitedly, before looking at Otto as she kept talking about her love life – he had been there before, so he knew what she meant. “I’m sure the two of you will figure out, I mean, you guys like each other, that much is obvious. I’ve never seen Michael smile and he seems to smile with you. So, that’s a good start.” He said with a small chuckle, as he started walking with Otto, his arm still linked with hers. “You can walk with me. But you can’t get used to it, we don’t want to hear rumors about how we would be the hottest couple in this school.” He said with a smile.

“You could never perform WAP without looking flawless,” Otto said with a smile before she was glancing around at the hallways. Classes were going to be starting soon and while she was hardly the type to skip class, it almost sounded appealing to do so with Joey. But she couldn’t do that, not with Ophie most likely already waiting for her in anatomy class. As things drove into the dramatic town of complicated starts to relationships, Otto could feel herself sighing at the thought of it alone. “Exactly. Complicated and I don’t really like to hang out all that much.” She was a terribly awkward person most of the time, and whenever it came to discussing her feelings for Michael? It was definitely one of those all star moments where she was terribly awkward. Otto had practically gone to all but extreme lengths to avoid discussing things with Michael himself, so why was it so much easier admitting things to her friends. It was backwards. She was backwards. “Wait, how long did it take for you and Xan to figure things out?” In the past, Otto made it a point to ignore any and all romantic news about Joey Hummel-Anderson. While they’ve always been friends, she was always a little too preoccupied with moping about the fact that she would never have a chance with him to pay attention to his own love life. It was pathetic, but Otto was just glad things were moving to a better (and healthier) place. “I’ll lead big with Fondue for Two and then try to ease him into just a simple ten minute increase,” Otto explained before she was starting to walk with him in the direction of his next class. “Michael smiles a lot, stop that.” He didn’t and Otto knew that much was true. It was just a lot to swallow whenever she was the kind of person that was so reflecting of anything commitment wise. “Are we going to have to form some sort of Michael/Joey alliance here? I can only walk you to class twice a week so we don’t end up on the cover of the Muckraker?” Otto asked with a laugh before she was slowing down their pace. It was nice catching up with Joey.

While Michael would never be the type of person to care about the rumblings coming from the Muck or JBI Jr, he was always going to be mildly offended every time he was mentioned. Especially, if he was mentioned alongside Otto. He had a firm belief that everyone should stay out of his business and just because they were figuring out their feelings and being more public with how they felt about each other, didn’t mean Michael was ready to take out a full-page advertisement in the Muckraker. He nodded his as she confirmed who knew about them in her family and was slightly shocked when she admitted her mom was onto them. Clearly, neither one of them was all that good at keeping things under wraps when it came to their families. “You are?” He questioned at her saying she was going to tell her family. He was definitely surprised. They had both struggled with being forthcoming about their feelings these days, especially her, so he hadn’t been expecting her to be ready to start being honest with their families. “We’re a thing?” He teased with a slight smirk. He could tell just how nervous she was, and figured some light joking might help ease her nerves a bit. But this was Otto, and he knew once she was feeling nervous about something, it would be hard for her to shake that feeling. He kept his eyes on her, watching as she sat up and pulled away from him, a frown pulling across his face in response to the loss of contact. The frown didn’t last long as the next words from Otto’s mouth brought a slight smile to his lips. “You really like me?” He echoed, letting out a deep sigh of relief. “I really like you too,” he admitted, keeping his eyes on hers. He pulled his gaze away from hers for a moment, just to make sure they weren’t about to be interrupted again before bringing it back to fall on her. “If you want and if you’re ready for it…” He trailed off, as he paused to clear his throat. “You could tell your mom I’m your boyfriend. If that’s what you want. I mean, it’s what I want. I want to be your boyfriend.”

“I have to, at least, talk to my mom,” Otto explained before she was scratching at the top of her head with a nervous bout of laughter falling from her lips. “I checked my phone after school on Tuesday and I had 12 text messages from her asking what was going on between the two of us.” While it wasn’t the best thing to be admitting to Michael, she had always been open and honest with him - and that wasn’t about to start changing any time soon. Regardless of how uncomfortable Otto felt for this conversation (or how much she wanted to start ripping her hair out from the embarrassment her own backwards behavior was bringing her), she wasn’t stopping. It was now or never for something to be figured out. They both knew what they wanted but communicating that? It was growing impossible for Otto. It was like a band-aid and she terribly needed to rip it off. “Wait what?” Otto asked as she turned her eyes to be staring Michael down. “Did you just say boyfri-” Like clockwork, Mrs. Chang was coming into the room for a check-in. Thank goodness she had sat up a little bit more and hadn’t been caught cuddling into Michael’s side. Otto was as poised as she could be and smiling enough for the two of them while she made small talk with Michael’s mom. Once she finally left (door left open, of course), Otto made quick work before she was shutting Michael’s bedroom door with a soft click. She stared at the door for a moment before she was turning around and facing him. “Did you just...” A pause. Otto’s eyes landed on Michael’s and it’s like an instant wave of calmness overcame her. Things didn’t have to get complicated. Things didn’t have to change. They were still going to be Otto and Michael, even if the terms of ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’ were hanging over their heads. “Ask me.” The words came out softer before she was pushing herself off of the door and moving to sit at Michael’s side. “Ask me,” she repeated with a small smile before she was grabbing one of his hands. Whether it be for her own comfort or a silent encouraging act for Michael, she wasn’t sure. 

-

“I love Candy, but she would have execution style shot me and you know it,” Ophie laughed lightly as the image came to her mind. To be honest, it was kinda hot to think about staring up at Candy like that. Shaking the thought from her head, Ophie knew that she had to get sleep sometime soon if she was thinking about Candy Motta in that kinda way. “Okay well damn, if LJ was letting people in I should have definitely tried. She’s hot as hell,” Ophie remarked without a second thought. Yeah, things were getting bad. Ophie leaned her elbows against the island and thought furtively about the last time things had felt normal. While she wasn’t as close with her dad as Otto was, she still missed the broad way he laughed when he went to jail in Monopoly or how his booming voice could be heard throughout the house when he sang. It was joyous and beautiful all at the same time. The chaos that rang through the Meeks’s household was sorely missed nearly everyday. This weirdness between her and Otto, however, could get the fuck outta Ophie’s life. As Otto began to spiral, Ophie stepped in front of her sister and placed her hands on either side of the other’s face. “Ots, stop. Everything is fine, everything is beautifully fine and chaotic and fucked up, but you and I,” Ophie stared deeply into Otto’s eyes. “Nothing can ever come between us and we are always gonna be good, no matter what,” pausing, Ophie took a breath and let the tears sting the back of her eyes. “I promise.” If Ophie could take back liking Michael and messing all of this up, she would do anything to bring back the normalcy for her and her sister. 

“Can’t believe I could have become a widowed sister tonight,” Otto joked as she scrunched her nose in the direction of Ophie. Things were going to be okay. Things were going to be great even. It was the Meeks’ charm (and the ridiculously passionate love that their parents had instilled in them from birth) to always forgive and move on with one another. Even if they barely fought growing up, tifts between the twins were always resolved before they went to bed - which was finally happening now. Otto sighed whenever Ophie was coming closer, nearly melting into her sister’s touch as she closed her eyes and let herself really listen to what Ophie was saying. She always knew what to say in her own beautiful crass way. A smile fell upon Otto’s lips before she was opening her eyes and seeing the emotion passing through her sister’s. She frowned for a moment before she was wrapping her arms around Ophie’s waist and pulling her into a tight hug. The Meeks’ had always been the hugging kind. “I’m sorry I’ve been so weird,” she started, talking soft enough for just the two of them. “I just... I didn’t want to hurt your feelings or make things weird or...” Otto stopped talking before she was pulling back and groaning. “Sorry,” she apologized, knowing that she started talking way too much whenever she was nervous. “How about this,” she started as she pulled back completely, wiping underneath her eyes. She wasn’t crying, but she could at any moment. “You get the snacks, I’ll get way too many pillows, and we’ll game a little before I fall asleep in your bed while you finish your stream.” Otto smiled widely at Ophie before she was holding her pinky up for Ophie. “I love you, Oph,” she offered as they linked pinkies before Otto was dropping their conjoined hands and nearly shouting, “last person to your room gets to be player 2!” And with that, Otto hoped that things were going to be okay... especially whenever she things about how close her and Michael had been at Candyland got to her sister.

.

Seeing Otto toss her phone inside of the locker, made Joey raise his eyebrows on why the other was doing that – maybe he had scared her when he approached her, but he didn’t see why the other would do something like that. Smiling as he looked over at his friend, Joey nodded his head slowly. “Why did you do that to your phone? Did Siri say something to you, because that has happened to me before…” Joey said, before getting serious for a few seconds as he thought about all of the times he had heard Siri talk without him even saying anything, but it’s not like that mattered right now – Joey was there to try and figure out what was going on with Michael and Otto, hoping that he would get some answers from Otto. Knowing himself, he knew that he wouldn’t rest until he knew what was going on, even if he had to ask everyone he knew to tell him what was going on, because it wouldn’t surprise him if everyone else knew and Joey didn’t. It was probably for the best either way, mostly because Joey would usually accidentally people everything he knew.

As Otto started explaining – or tried to explain – what was going on between her and Michael, Joey couldn’t help but to smile at his friend. “What do you mean you don’t know? You went with him to Candyland, that has to mean something, right? And you guys were dancing together and all of that! I know I danced with Benji, but it wasn’t the same as that.” Joey said with a small smile as he looked at Otto – it wasn’t a lot, but he could definitely tell by Otto’s reaction to talking about that, that there was definitely something going on. If there wasn’t, she probably would have said something about it, right? “Do you like him? Because he’s like… really cute. Don’t tell him I said this though.” He said, feeling his ears turn a little red at the thought of it. “Well, he told me that he would be nice to me for twenty minutes, but then we only took like three minutes to get to my classroom, so now I’m making sure to enjoy those minutes we have left.” He said with a small chuckle, as he looked at Otto as she opened her locker again and got her phone out. “So, are you saying anything about it or what?” He asked, waiting for a definite answer.

“I uh, no. My mom is just, you know, like being mean to me or something,” Otto said quickly, trying to ease her way out of any conversation about the texting she was about to have to commit with her mom. Otto wasn’t sure why her mom being mean was the first thing that came to mind, but she hoped she could change the subject into something more Joey based. “What things did Siri say about you though? I’ve heard stories about her being creepy sometimes but I’ve never... heard about it in real time.” She shouldn’t have been so invested in Joey’s answer, especially knowing that Joey’s mind was sometimes... fantastical but she was. At the mentioning of her... whatever with Micahel, Otto felt her face heating up. She needed to get better at this. Desperately. “Okay, girl talk,” she said suddenly before she was snaking her arm through Joey’s bringing him closer so that they were able to talk more seriously. It was obvious that Otto’s love language was physical touch. “I think I really like him, but it’s complicated. He’s like, he’s Michael,” Otto sighed out before she was glancing around at who could be listening. No one important. “It’s been a whole back and forth thing.” Otto laughed whenever Joey started explaining the uber complicated deal in place between him and Michael, and she couldn’t help but get swallowed into her minds thoughts at the realization - Michael was so completely different with her. It was always something she knew, but never how severe. It was sweet. It was a lot, but it was sweet. “Do you want me to try and get it to 30 minutes a day?” Otto might not have been able to make that happen, but she could definitely try if it was for Joey. It could be her last parting gift to her biggest ex-crush. “I like, I need to talk to him about it but that stinks. That’s such an awkward conversation,” Otto laughed before she was sliding her phone out and sending a quick text to her mom that class was starting. “Is Michael walking you to class or can I?”

It was safe to say that Michael was consistently embarrassed by his family. Whether it was his mom trying to force family karaoke nights on them or his dad finding excuses to mention his dance moves at the dinner table. They were just embarrassing. But the way his mother kept finding ways to check in on him and Otto throughout the night had annoyed and embarrassed Michael more than usual. Especially since they were just studying, as per usual, and nothing out of the ordinary or overtly romantic was going on. However, he was sure his mom would pop in a few more times before Otto went home. It was easy to push those annoyed thoughts out of his head as she cuddled into his side. He was a little surprised when she didn’t jump at the chance to force him to watch a musical, immediately staring down at her with a confused look as she placed the remote down on his stomach. “Oh,” he breathed out, his mouth morphing into a quick awkward grimace. “She asked Sam who I was taking to Candyland and he snitched,” he chuckled out, shaking his head. His mother was the last person he would have come clean about their relationship to. In all honesty, Michael’s need for a label was just about the two of them. He wanted to be sure of her feelings. He didn’t want anyone else in their business. It wasn’t about fluffy Instagram posts or holding hands down the hallway. He just wanted to be sure that his feelings were reciprocated in full. “But I haven’t said anything to her. She’s just being extremely snoopy,” he teased as he sent her a small smile. “I haven’t given my family any details or anything. Have you?”

“Oh,” Otto repeated with a gentle smile as she rested her chin on Michael’s chest. It really wasn’t the biggest of deals, especially since their entire outing to Candyland had quite literally gained the attention of JBI Jr. It was practically a well known fact at this point that the two were... well, whatever they were. “I could have guessed it was Sam though.” She loved the youngest Chang sibling a whole lot, but it didn’t come as a shocker that he had let the cat out of the bag. At Michael’s question, Otto paused for a moment. There were a lot of things that she hadn’t discussed with him, and they all revolved around Ophie and how Otto had talked to her about her thing with Michael. “Oph knows a little,” Otto deadpanned, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. If only he freakin’ knew how painful that whole conversation had gone. “My mom knows... something? But, I just kind of told her to let me blossom by myself.” The phrasing would be totally weird if Michael hadn’t been a staple in her life for as long as she could remember. The Meeks’ matriarch was always speaking in practical Hallmark movie terms, and Otto had unfortunately started catching onto things. “I think I’m going to though,” Otto paused before she was shrugging her shoulders and melting back into a cuddling position with him. “Like, you know, tell them that you’re like,” a pause as Otto knitted her eyebrows together and laughed softly at herself. “That we’re like, you know, a thing. Or something.” She could already feel her cheeks reddening at the difficulty in which these things were coming to her. Otto was an emotional person. She prided herself on feeling feelings well and not trying to repress them like a lot of people her age did. But whenever it came to feelings that mattered? With Michael’s eyes boring into her soul? It was hard. After a couple seconds, Otto sat up before she was staring at Michael’s bedroom door, almost willing his mom to come in and interrupt what she was about to say. “I like you. Like, I like this.” No Mrs. Chang yet, crap. Glancing back at Michael, Otto shrugged her shoulders before she was sighing. “I really like you, I think,” she whispered, her eyes meeting Michael’s before she was offering a small smile. Crappy, but she could work with it. 

-

When they were younger, you couldn’t find one twin without the other. The two’s personalities were so much melded into one another’s that it was hard to understand who had impacted the other. As they grew up, Ophie had begun to realize that there were distinct differences between the two of them. Otto was effortless and adorable. Ophie was hard and aggressive. While the differences were only exacerbated with puberty, there was always the underlying notion that the other would always be home. Ophie had noted the awkwardness, she had felt the tense feelings each time either shared space. Knowing her sister, Ophie understood that there was a lot of pressure now that senior year was winding down and there were too many decisions to be made. On top of that, Ophie had to come clean about her crush on Michael. The realization that it was never going to happen hurt more than Otto going out with him. Otto was her home, always, but right now it felt like the house was on fire. “Yee yee,” she spoke before taking a long drink. “That’s awesome, I’m super happy for you,” Ophie nodded before rolling her eyes. “Dude, I wouldn’t have been allowed to go. I didn’t have a date. Candy would have shot me,” Ophie laughed slightly and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter dude,” Hopping up on the opposite counter, she nodded enthusiastically. “Absolutely, I’ll see if people will donate some bits to see you and I play some games together,” winking at her sister, she couldn’t help but laugh lightly. “I’ve got a few minutes, how does some Mortal Kombat 76 sound?”

“She would not have shot you,” Otto said with a laugh before she was eating a couple more chips and putting the bag away. The more the two engaged in conversation, the more it was becoming evident that things were going to be okay... right? They were the Meeks’ twins. If they could get through rumors that they were twin aliens that were placed on Earth by some weird ginger planet? They could get through anything. “I’m pretty sure LJ was letting people in through the back anyway. I saw plenty of people without a date.” Otto smiled over at her sister, wanting more than anything for their mom to wake up and for their dad to come home. It felt like ages since the entire Meeks family had been able to have a family night, and while the rising tensions between their daughters was... alarming, Otto knew that would be the fix. “Sounds great but can we uh-” Otto was talking far too fast for her brain to even catch up with what was going on. “I think we need to talk. Or at least just... tell one another everything is fine and that we can stop being weird.” A pause. “Or I can stop being weird.” She glanced over at Ophie before she was sighing and shrugging her shoulders. “I feel like I’m cracking and I have no idea why.” She did. Senior year brought a whole new batch of unknown - and for a girl that was constantly worried about losing her loved ones? College was a scary subject matter.