#theo.docx

Just slip on a banana peel, the world's at your feet

Make 'em laugh, make 'em laugh, make 'em laugh!

The girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and pushed up her glasses with a middle finger.

"So," she said, "I was just wondering if you'd been...okay?"

Makoto looped his finger into his hoodie cord. The girl talking to him was one of the few classmates he made it a point to...well, not avoid, per se, but he had to dredge up her name from his memory and he'd strategically moved seats to avoid her after he'd been paired with her for a creative writing project. There were only so many euphemisms a guy could take.

"Um. Tsumugi! Yeah. I'm fine, don't worry." He wound the cord around his finger a few more times. Tsumugi's eyes bored into him and he moved his down to the sticker of the men kissing. The one with the glasses had a string of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth. The more he looked at it, the more he thought that meeting Tsumugi's gaze wasn't a bad idea after all, and his eyes eventually wandered back up to hers.

Chapter 3: In which a bargain is struck, an alliance is formed, and byakuya togami continues to be extremely normal

“Look, babe, calm down,” Junko said with uncharacteristic worry, one hand on Leon’s arm. “You’re alive, I’m the same amount of notalive, neither of us have our head bashed in behind a budget hotel, okay? I think that’s a net win.” She leaned down, giving her boyfriend a small kiss.

“‘Sides, if anyone tries to kill you, I won’t let them.”

Junko tapped her chin.

“Unless I think it would be funny,” she said with a smirk. “You’re way funny when you’re scared, didya know? It’s kinda cute.”

"Hey, hold on a sec, man," he said, pointing at Byakuya. "Weren't you the one running around telling everyone your boyfriend was a serial killer, like, two days ago?"

"Boyfriend?" was all Makoto managed to get out before Byakuya spoke through gritted teeth.