He knew enough from the video games he had played that one mustn’t ever give up! Even if everything seemed lost. So, with nothing left to lose, Leviathan kept silent. He trembled, hoping that maybe you might mistake him for a dust bunny.

You chuckled. It would have sent his heart beating if it wasn’t already pounding from pure fear. “I can see your feet, Levi. Come out.” After a brief pause, you continued. “I like your socks. Ruri-chan themed. Very cute.”

Something brushed against Leviathan’s right foot, and he jumped, almost hitting his head against the bottom of your bed. No, no, no…you weren’t…you couldn’t…! Your index finger wiggled and twitched against his foot. Leviathan clasped his hand over his mouth. His cheeks burned. He tried to move his foot out of the way, but he was stuck. Leviathan couldn’t move his leg all too much. Damn your bed for being too low to the ground. This was why he slept in a bathtub.

Leviathan squeaked when your other index finger joined, tickling his left foot. He writhed in place as the sensations shot sparks of electricity up his entire body. This was so humiliating. A large part of Leviathan wanted to die. He bit down on his fist to try to distract himself from the tickling, but it was no use. 

You ran your fingers down the arches of Leviathan’s feet, and he was done for. 

“Eeeeeh!” Leviathan choked out. “Eek! Don’t do thahahat!” He despised the giggles that tumbled out of him. His laugh was so bad. He hated the way it sounded–like an awkward snorting hyena. Gah, why did you have to be so, so–

Leviathan wasn’t able to finish his train of thought before he felt you grab him by the ankles and give a mighty tug. In one swift motion, you pulled him out from under your bed. You sat back with a self-satisfied grin on your face. Leviathan laid there stunned for a moment before regaining his senses and covering his face. His cheeks were probably a bright red, and he didn’t want you to see how flustered you got him. 

“Levi–”

“I’m sorry!” Leviathan spat out.

You paused. “For what?”

“For…I don’t know!” Leviathan finally got the courage to look at you. You were sitting on your knees with a confused expression on your face. “When I saw you in the kitchen earlier, you seemed pretty mad at me.”

You cocked your head to the side. “I’m not mad at you. I just wanted to ask where you got the bunny ears from.” You pointed to Leviathan’s head, and on instinct, he touched a floppy purple ear that he had forgotten about. “They’re cute,” you said.

“They were giving these out at the nearest pop-up cafe…”

“Really?” you asked, flicking one of the ears. “That’s pretty good. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that you looked cute.” You pressed your thumb against the base of the headband. “You ran away before I could, though.”

“Sorry, sorry, but I actually thought you were mad. Your expression was…”

You hummed in thought. “Maybe it was cuteness aggression?”

Cuteness aggression? Obviously, Leviathan had heard of the phenomenon. That happened to him any time he laid eyes on one of his anime faves, but the fact that you thought he was cute?? That was crazy! You were crazy. Who would ever think that he was cute? Leviathan was just a gross otaku.

You laughed softly. “You’re so red,” you said, poking his cheek.