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The cafe was bustling with activity. All sorts of animals walked through to borrow books, get drinks and delicacies, and even to chat with the employees. But nestled into a booth in the very far corner of the cafe, was a cream colored rabbit.
She wore a blue and black jacket, open to reveal a dark blue shirt underneath, as well as leggings and heels. Her fur was fluffy, as usual, and the tips of her ears were dyed pink, a remnant from when she was younger. She took another sip of her coffee, waiting on her brother.
She and her brother had been meeting for coffee since the day they had both moved out, him chasing working on planes and technology, and her focusing on writing. It had been rough at times, more than once they had to stay at each other's place due to money problems, but now they were far more comfortable. All she had to do for her job was come up with a different short story every month, and her brother was doing something he loved, teaching about planes and their history.
It was a long road to get here, but the destination was well worth it.
But recently though, she ran into a problem. One that needed her immediate attention.
A sharp ding filled the air, and she looked up to see her brother walking through, dressed in a black shirt and blue jeans.. He lit up when he spotted her.
“Eden!” He called out, happily trotting his way towards her. Eden stood up and embraced him in a hug, “Always good to see you Rye.” They stood together for a bit longer, before Eden pulled away, letting him sit down before sitting down herself.
“How have you been?” He asked, cheerfully kicking his legs under the table. Eden smiled, he was giddy like a kid on Christmas. “I'm doing quite well, though you seem to be in much better spirits. Is my company that good?” He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck, “Sorry, I'm just excited for tonight. Oliver and I are gonna go to the movies to see that new Terraria movie.”
Ah, there it was. the elephant in the room. The elusive boyfriend he'd been with for over a year now. Eden had met him before, several times in fact, even before he and Rye were an item. He had worked for her publisher a few times as an artist, making illustrations to go with her's and some of her fellow writer's stories. And the best she could describe him was… Creepy.
“...Rye, can we talk about Oliver?” He tilted his head, “Uh, sure? Any particular reason why?” She held her tongue as she tried to find a way to broach the subject. “Do you… Uh… Notice anything weird about him?” Rye was even more confused, “What do you mean?”
“Well, remember the first time I went over to his apartment?”
~
456… 457… 458!
The apartment door stood in front of her. She held a stack of papers in her bag, the entirety of her book. She and her publisher had offered to send it over to him via email, but he asked for it in paper, something about reading better with physical paper. But she was getting no response from her first knock on the door.
She gave it another hesitant knock, only for it to swing open, knocking over an umbrella propped against the wall. The lights were turned off, all down the inner hallway as well. …Ominous… But she had a job to do, and he said that he would be in his apartment all day.
Steeling herself, she walked into the dark apartment, quietly shutting the door behind her.
“Hello?” …No response. “Oliver, are you here?” Still nothing. A feeling of anxiety was beginning to weasel into her stomach, each step forward only perpetuating it.
A strange sound started to fill the air, soft, but.. fleshy. She could hear the subtle rips and tears of tendons being torn.
She had a sudden urge to leave right then and there, but she had a job to do. So she crept onwards, eventually coming to a kitchen, with a small island in the middle, and on that island-
!?
Sitting on a chair, underneath a single light above the island was Oliver, snout and hands tinted with a bright red. He heaved another hand into something fleshy and bleeding on the island, pulling out another chunk of red and biting down into it.
She was terrified, and frozen where she stood.
Eventually he finally looked up, his dark blue eyes piercing into her's. He smiled.
“A visitor!”
“ AAAAAAAAAA-
~
Even just thinking about it now made her shiver.
“To be fair, you were the one who entered his apartment without permission.” “Who eats raw fish in near total darkness!?”
Rye thought for a moment, taking a sip of Eden's coffee after getting permission with a nod.
“Still, that's just one thing. Who knows? Maybe he was trying to conserve power.” Eden frowned, “Okay, how about the Halloween thing you told me about?”
~
Rye looked at himself in the mirror, spinning in his new outfit. He had never gotten to celebrate halloween before. A lack of funds to actually buy costumes and little motivation to dress up contributed to that. Oliver took care of those in one fell swoop, offering an invitation to a party he'd gotten from a client and taking him shopping for a costume.
His costume was… Rather provocative, he had bought it after some encouragement from Oliver. It was a witch's outfit, fit with a big hat adorned with cat ears, and a slim fitting dress, completed with a ribbon tied around his waist. It was unlike anything he'd ever worn before, completely different from his everyday wear.
And he loved it.
“Ollie! Are you ready to go?” He left their room, going into the hallway to try and find him.
“...Mine.”
“Huh?” Rye turned around, only to be met with a manic looking Oliver. He had a crazed look in his eye and was wearing something completely different, swapping out his usual skirt and button up for what looked to be a sailor school uniform. But what really caught him off guard, was the butcher's cleaver he held in his hands.
“O-Ollie?”
“MINE!”
Oliver dropped the cleaver and sprinted at Rye, tackling him to the ground as he squealed in fear.
“You're mine now! Mine mine mine mine mine mine mine MINE!”
Rye stared up in both confusion and terror, watching as Oliver took one of his hands and used it to caress his face, smiling all the while.
“...”
“...”
Finally, Oliver's expression returned to normal, closing his eyes to let out a purr. “How was that? Did I spook you?”
Rye's heart rate was higher than it had ever been, his face was flushing, and something was growing that he didn't want to admit to.
“...Y-Yeah, a little bit.”
~
“He was going as a yandere, why wouldn't he be dressed like that? Also it was halloween, a little spook or two never killed anyone.”
Eden sputtered, “Who dresses up as a yandere for halloween? Why not be… I don't know, a robot? Or a character from a video game?” Rye folded his arms, “Look, the things you told me are creepy, when you don't have the context for it. Outside of that he’s really sweet.”
“I…” She sighed, leaning back in her booth. “I just don’t want you to get serial killed dude. I know he means well, but my instinct fuckin’ flare when i'm around him.” Rye looked off to the side, “Yeah, well when your first meeting with someone has them covered in blood, that tends to happen.”
Eden moved to take another sip of her coffee, only to realize it was empty. She didn't feel like paying for a refill, and the cafe didn't appreciate loitering.
“Just…” She looked into his eyes, “Do you trust him?” Rye nodded, adding, “With my life.”
“And does he make you happy?” “Happier than I've ever been.”
She let out a soft smile. “Then that's good enough for me.” Rye beamed, “Don't worry, i know how to take care of myself. I won't get serial killed.” Eden laughed, “Yeah, with how many horror movies we watched as a kid i’d hope you learned something.”
They both laughed, Eden getting up and grabbing her bag, she walked over to her brother and leaned down to hug him. “See you again next week?” “Always.”
As she hugged him, she remembered something she promised herself long ago, that if anyone ever made Rye cry, she'd make them cry. She still felt that urge to protect him to this day, but she knew he wasn't a frail little kid anymore, he'd grown up and become someone stronger, capable of looking out for himself. And she couldn't be prouder.
“...If he ever makes you sad, let me know and i'll kick him in the crotch so hard he gets sent to mars.” Rye let out a giggle, “Eden! You can't just say stuff like that.”
“Nah, I totally can, cause that’s what big sisters do.”