#squiggly!submissions

Squiggly didn't like that noise. He'd heard it a thousand times before, muffled in the nap of Racy's neck and sending shudders through his own metal form--with the tables turned and the man who was usually his stability now sobbing hysterically into his shoulder, the older bot felt sick to his metaphorical stomach. 

"Shhh.. it's okay. Just let it out." 

He was guessing. Quoting what Racy used to say, fumbling awkwardly over his half-stiff tongue and twining spidery fingers in the man's hair as oil coursed down the sleeve and back of his only nice coat. 

She took one very small step back towards the threshold of the HOW. "I'd still very much like to be your friend, if you'll let me. I still think you deserve a medal of honor for all that you do. You're ungodly hilarious and, when you want to be, you can be pretty adorable. But, romantically, I'm 97% sure that I'm over it. I've actually made quite a few more friends in the last month and I've even same some more-than-friends friends." She can't help but laugh, crossing her hands behind her back. "Well, did I convince you?"

"You should be sorry. I don't like being hated when I try to do good, but I especially hate it when people think they're fucking special because I help them. I'm doing what's right, it's got nothing to do with shit like affection and blah-blah-fucking-blah.." 

He grimaced, but forced himself to continue listening. It was hard to stomach the voice of someone who'd infuriated him constantly invading his audioreceptors. Once she'd finished, the bot let out a loud huff of steam.

"Look, I'm sure you mean your shit well and all, but you fucking felt entitled to my affection because I did for you what I'd do for anyone else who wasn't a Becile. Shit like that, it.. it makes me hesitant to even want to be nice to you, for fuck's sake!"

A rubber-padded palm found his face, raking backwards to push through his messy black tresses.

The wrappings are torn away to reveal a Bathrobe of all things. Your name is delicately embroidered upon it.

A letter sealed in red wax is nestled in with it that reads in an agitated scribble...

YOU'RE ACTING LIKE A NUT JOB!

DO YOU REALLY THINK A DUMB INSULT WARRANTS THIS?

TAKE THIS, PUT IT ON, SIT DOWN AND CHILL!

WHILE YOUR AT IT WHY NOT SUCH UP YOUR PRIDE AND GET YOURSELF FIXED!!!

Squiggly leaned down, picking up the package and the note with it, whilst green optics glared at the broken window in disdain.

"Fuckin' jackasses." 

His eyes rolled--upwards, left, and then down to the note clasped between spidery fingers. He read over it briskly, perhaps assuming it to be some boring drabble or threat from that bizarre Thadeus Becile II. He was known to do weird shit like this. 

However, instead it appeared to be from that one version of himself that trounced about in a pink bath robe. He scowled, tucking the note into his back pocket with one hand and using the thumb of the hand that actually gripped the package to pierce through the wrappings. Squiggs tore it open with ease, and stared down at the bath robe in confusion.

He would have killed her?

Killed her and not have had a second thought about it?

Just like that?

Shojo stood on the porch, her hand ready to knock on the front door. She slowly lowered her hand as it went limp at her side. She stared at the wooden door, etched with scratches from battle after battle with monster after monster.

Her whole world was in slow motion. She turned around and slowly, very slowly, sunk to the floor and sat on the small steps of the Walter Manor. Her hands on her arms, gripping herself tightly. She gazed out to the hell beyond the wire gate without an expression.

How did it come to this? How did this get so out of control? He'd never forgive her now. He'd never look at her with any feeling other than hatred ever again. Silent tears jumped to their doom as they fell from her eyes. Will this ever stop? She'd never cried this much in her life.

So why did she still want to be with him? Why did she miss him terribly when it's barely been twenty-four hours? Why? He hated her. He hurt her. He wanted to kill her. Why would she ever want to be with someone like that? But she did.

She lowered her head and rested it on her knees, holding them into her chest, and cried. Again. There was no one to hold her. No one to comfort her. The greyfaces she thought cared were no where to be seen. She had no one.

"Oh god... Squiggly, I'm so sorry..."

After a few minutes, she shakily got to her feet and made her way back to the shed. Before stepping into the portal, she looked back at the manor which only forced more tears to spew forth.

But then, she smiled. She remembered the fun she had within the empty halls of the manor. She remembered the time when her heart beat so fast when she encountered her first monster. The feeling of his arms around her when she could barely stand on her own two feet. That one fleeting kiss of gratitude she placed on his lips. All their arguments in the HOW, all the times he made her laugh, all the times she wrapped her arms around him. He always hated that. She laughed in spite of herself.

She heard a growl in the distance but didn't blink an eye. She wasn't afraid anymore. He taught her to be strong. She could handle more than she ever could a few short weeks ago. She could- The growl turned into a roar. She jumped and laughed at herself again. Maybe she still needed more time. Yeah, that's it. Just time. Time to grow and mature. Time to think things over. Time to heal.

She smiled up into the windows of the manor. The lights were still on. She sighed, wiping her last tear away.

"See you later," she whispered.

Shojo stepped back through the portal and didn't look back.

Squiggly heard everything. Knew everything. From the hesitation to knock to the buckling to the roar, he was quite certain of what went on beyond, his own optics painting a picture of the scene.

However, he cared little for such matters.

"Tch." 

His eyes turned to the book in his hands, thumbing over to another page and losing himself in the writing.

"NO! Don't you dare say a fucking word. You're gonna stand here and listen to me, asshole. First of all, "pining after your robo-cock since we met"?! FUCK YOU. You have no fucking idea what I what so don't put words in my mouth and I have never wanted that out of you, even when I was drunk. If your stupid ass will recall, I wanted you to kiss me. That's fucking all. And to suggest that I would like to be sexually harassed by you just because I like you is incomprehensibly disgusting. Oh, but let's not forget the icing on the cake which is that you don't even want to touch me now?? Am I covered in some deadly disease? Do I have cooties or something? You know, all I've ever tried to do is do good by you and make you happy and, yeah, I fell for you along the way. And because I screwed up, I ruined everything that I was working for, I fucking get that so you don't need to keep repeating it. Why can't you just accept my goddamn apology and move on already? I'll even help you out. I'll go back to my safe little verse where I belong and then I won't have to "force my troubles" on you anymore. Because I'm so fucking useless all the time and can barely take care of myself, right? And you know what's the worst part? I still have feelings for you. Yeah, I don't fucking get it either. But whatever, I'm done with you."

She stands there panting and glaring at him with all the ferocity she could muster. Her clenched fists are visibly shaking but she doesn't leave. She just stands there, waiting for a response.

When Shojo barged in, Squiggly turned green eyes towards her and arched an eyebrow, clearly knowing full well why she'd arrived this time. 

"So--"

Suddenly, he was struck across the face so hard that his head spun around, then clicked back into place, perhaps a bit more crooked than it had been previously. His fingers balled into fists, but he couldn't get a word in to perhaps threaten her or stop her before he actually did something he might regret. He listened to her drabble on and on and on and on, until finally she shut up and he raised one hand, clasping it over her mouth so she'd say nothing else whilst he spoke.

"Okay, first of all? Calm the fuck down. I realize I said some shit that wasn't particularly true, but that is entirely justified by the fact that you and the grayfaces that support you are immensely fucking irritating, and that one was the last fucking straw. You, Shojo, bring nuisances wherever you go. Your grayface buddies won't shut the hell up and keep trying to make me like you, convince me to forgive you, badger me to the point where I'd rather keel over and die than be nice to you.. and you know what? This is it. I want you the fuck outta my life, because CLEARLY all this is going to be is a huge pain in the ass and sure, I'm being selfish and rude and what I said back there was really narrow-minded in some aspects, but guess what?! I don't care! I don't fucking care. Get out of my verse, stay out of my life, and I fucking swear to god if you ever try to hit me again, I will break your arms."

He removed his hand, glaring at her.