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The night howled with the rustling whispers of croaking trees and the ticking lullabies of crickets singing to sleepy, slithering shadows cast by the moon’s milky glimmer. She pressed herself up against the coolness of the machine, trying to control the painful ache simmering deep in her chest.
STRANGER!? He had called her a STRANGER. He had looked her up and down, his smile just as warm as she remembered, only to… to leave again. He was looking for his other friends. She wasn't who he was looking for.
She didn't understand; she had worked so hard to change herself. She knew she was ugly—Pin had told her so, and no matter how sharp Pin may have gotten with her words lately, based on how everyone apparently liked to treat her, she didn't think Pin was trying to give her a new set of insecurities just for the fun of it this time.
She definitely looked… rough. Grey and covered in nicks that permanently embedded beneath her chipping, metal exterior. She had been living in the woods for so long, she had started talking to the bushes! She almost wanted to laugh at how sad it sounded, even to herself.
She let out a watery chuckle, the sound weak with a hurt that wasn't fading anytime soon—if ever. With shaking arms, she numbly wrapped them close around her legs, hugging her knees tightly against her chest as the seeping sense of failure slowly began to unfurl, her thoughts nothing more than a mess of guilt-ridden resentment.
She couldn't believe she had been so… so naive! Of course he wouldn't recognize her! No matter how much she tried to piece back together the version of herself that Firey had cared for, she was too different now! She was ruined, already! She had ruined herself, and he didn't want her anymore. He didn't recognize her because she was already too broken to fix, and she was dirty and disgusting and why would he wanna look at her, anyways? She was nothing like Pin and Coiny; Pin had a reason to be the way she was. Pin was hurt, and even through that hurt, she hadn't stolen anything from Coiny. They were at the very least still playing the game. She didn't have that excuse. She didn't have any excuses!
Leafy sniffled, her hollow chuckles melting into wobbly, choke-filled gasps as she crumbled into her own hands. Nobody else would hold her. Firey didn't want to hold her… Would he have ever wanted to…? If she hadn't messed everything up, would he have asked to hug her one day…?
The arms curled around her legs tightened just a bit further, her mind screaming at her to keep the fantasy going, if only for a moment. She pretended that it was something Firey would've done—something he'd want just as much as her if she wasn't so broken. She imagined his hand gently petting along the tip of her head, warm and comforting against the layer of metal protecting her from the dangerous lick of his flames. She felt herself fall to the false, deceptive lull of her own imagination, lifting a hesitant hand to trace along the seam of her stem, shivering at the sad little trickle of joy it gave her. She let out a quivering sigh, her chest pulsing with an even heftier pull of pain that… it wasn't real. She wanted the touches to be real. She…
She just wanted someone to think she was pretty…
“Well, I think you're pretty. Green is definitely a good color on you!”
Leafy jolts with a start, eyes widening with alertness at the sudden break in her mind’s wanderings. She flushes hotly, hurriedly shoving her hands back down to the ground below, embarrassment causing her to sink a little lower into the nestle of purple-tinted grass beneath her. She really didn't want anyone seeing her… seeing her pet herself! She didn't need the others giving her anymore titles!
And that voice… it didn't belong to anyone she could say she recognized—and let her tell you, she recognized a lot of people. Shifting her gaze up and away from her lap, she studied the owner of the weirdly-coincidental compliment.
It didn't resemble any type of object in particular, nor did its features match those of any of her own. Its eyes were large and alien-like, almost too big for its head. Its body glowed a shimmering blue that glittered with every motion it made, as if the stars themselves were infused within its very aura. Honestly, it sort of looked like… a number…?
The creature simply blinked down at her with what appeared to be a sheepish smile, all the while, Leafy tried to soothe her frazzled nerves, shoulders tense as whatever—or whoever—it was continued to stare at her intently. She couldn't seem to shake the strange, unsettling sense of something being… off.
It giggled lightly, shaking its head. “Sorry, did I startle you? That wasn't my intention, I promise!” Its smile widened slightly at her expression, motioning its leg in her direction. “I always get so ahead of myself when I see interesting people, you know! It's a habit I can't ever seem to break. Being overeager for new friends can do that, I suppose!”
Leafy freezes, staring right on back as she tries to register what the creature was saying; did it just mention that it wanted… friends…? It wanted friends? It got so super-duper excited to make friends that it jumped at each and every chance it got!?
Leafy felt herself brighten, quickly smudging and scrubbing at the lingering trail marks lining her cheeks as she gave a hesitant smile. She felt the embers of excitement slowly begin to spark at the idea that there was someone actually here who was open to making friends—and they didn't know her!
They didn't know how bad and broken she was already—how she was damaged goods that everyone already knew to avoid.
She tried to hold down the impulse to invade their space, leaning in with a desperation that made her feel just the tiniest bit insecure. She didn't wanna scare them off! And she barely knew this person—she needs to be more cautious!
With that reminder rolling in the back of her mind, Leafy gives an honest attempt at sitting still, schooling her expression. “I've never seen you around here before, and I've been living in Yoyle City for a long while now.”
The creature raises a brow, only to seemingly jump as they come to a realization of sorts. “Oh, my bad! I forgot to introduce myself—silly me! I wasn't kidding about that overeagerness of mine!” They float closer to Leafy’s side, just above her shoulder. Their tone oozed with charm and charisma, Leafy already finding herself struck. “The name's One! And you're right! I haven't ever been to Yoyle City before, so think of me being here as… a happy little detour of sorts!” she says cheerfully, her gaze never leaving Leafy’s. “I love traveling! It's always nice getting to meet so many new faces—including yours, Leafy!”
She can't get herself to stop staring, her mouth opening in awe. Her cheeks take on a pinkening tinge. “Me…? Wait, you know my name?”
One lets out a bubbly snort, circling around her with a swirling, cosmic flourish. “Of course I know your name! I know a lot of things about you, Leafy! Though, to be fair, I know a lot of things in general,” they say with a casual shrug, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Leafy frowns, feeling a wave of dread bite at her earlier flush of excitement; One knew her. They already knew about her, which meant they already knew about how terrible she was and she wouldn't wanna be her friend and—
“Hey, it's okay, Leafy.” Leafy pauses in her panic, eyes wide as she looks up at the number. Her voice was so soft… “You did something the others didn't like, huh? As beautiful as Yoyle City looks, from what I know, it's basically abandoned. You wouldn't be living out here just for the scenery.” One’s expression morphs into one of pure, unbridled sympathy, her voice ringing with a sweet, simmering coo. Leafy’s face heats up even further at the unfamiliar amount of… of care that was being presented to her for once. She ignored the wailing rock of shame at how quickly her chest fluttered.
Leafy shudders, forcing herself to look away. Her brow furrows. “I didn't exactly have a choice. I was being chased, and I… I almost died. I got lucky, using that map I found to escape what was apparently supposed to be my, um… execution.” She can't calm down; she's not used to people listening to her. Someone was actually listening for once. If it were anyone else in front of her, they'd already be turning the other way by now. “I don't know how it works exactly, but magical properties aside, it sent me… here.” She opens both her arms outward with another empty chuckle, motioning towards the line of trees up ahead, all before letting out a heavy-sounding sigh. Her arms plop right back down to the ground. “Yoyleland used to be one of my dream places to visit. Now, I've eaten so many Yoyleberries these past few years, they're kind of starting to make me sick. They just taste yucky and sad now.”
One, to Leafy’s surprise, wasn’t running for the hills. They're still hovering there, nodding along to her each and every word with that very same look of sympathy. She doesn't understand—she really doesn't; why aren't they leaving? Why aren't they telling her how annoying her complaining was? “Well that's not very fair, is it? Why should you be forced to live out here in the woods by yourself, surviving off food you don't even like, all the while, they're living it up with one another? They're all having fun without you!”
Leafy huffs, kicking at the dirt. She folds her arms. “Like I said—I don't really have a choice. Nobody wants to talk to me anymore. They won't even look at me!” She absentmindedly plucks at the grass flattened beneath her fingers, willing herself not to cry for a third time tonight. It wasn't worth the energy.
One had other plans, however. “They're ignoring you because you ‘stole’ Dream Island. Is that right? That's the premise they all love to run with, anyways.” She rolls her eyes, blowing a raspberry for good measure. “I always thought that notion sounded super ridiculous! It's not your fault that some shady speaker box dude couldn't tell the difference between his own greed and a fraudulent check you wrote on some choppy piece of paper! That says way more about him than it does about you, I would think!” They slowly settle themself beside her, their hip pressed up against her own. Leafy swallows down the urge to shove the rest of herself across One’s lap.
One hums, her eyes pooling with warmth as they eclipsed into tiny crescents of adoration. “Let’s look at all the facts here, shall we?” Her lips curve into a small pout. “Your best friend killed you, and then he has the audacity to blame you for being scared and upset! And then, as if that wasn’t already bad enough, he then turns you away, inviting people much less valuable than yourself. What a jerk!”
Leafy attempts to turn away, not wanting to let her anger get the better of her; Firey… Firey deserved to do whatever he wanted with his prize—he’s the one who won it after all! She shouldn't have taken it. It wasn't ever hers to take in the first place. She didn't want to call Firey a jerk!
“He's not a jerk…” she whispers with a start, her voice weaker than she intended. “The ferris wheel was a gift he made for the both of us, and I just… I should've appreciated it more. I should've been more grateful. He was just trying to make me happy.”
“He's done a pretty crumby job of doing that now, hasn't he?” One forces Leafy to look at her, her magic swift as Leafy’s eyes widen. “He only cares about himself, Leafy! Look where you are! And a lava fall? Ha! You’ve gotta be kidding me!” One snickers to herself, shaking her head in utter disbelief. “He's selfish, Leafy! Why are you out here, all alone, while he's allowed to keep having his little ego stroked by those who turned you away? Talk about hypocrisy—am I right?”
Leafy blinks, hands tightening into fists the more she let herself really think about what One was saying.
She was all alone—she’s been alone for so long now, she could feel her skin buzzing with a repulsive, yearning want. She wanted people to love her again. She missed having friends, and people wanting to talk to her. She missed sharing something other than stupid Yoyleberries with others, or having people hug her. She wanted anything. Literally anything…
Her lip wobbles, frustration overriding the throbbing ache in her chest. “Y-Yeah! You're right! He hurt me, and even though I was nice enough to forgive him, he… he threw it right back in my face!” Her face grit into a grimace, burning with an ugly brine of unresolved rage. “He said how much he wanted me—how much he wanted my friendship! But he just… he just threw it away the second we hit the ground! Why did he lie to me!? He keeps acting like he doesn't even know me!”
She tried—she really, REALLY did, but she couldn't help herself from hiccuping over her own tears all over again. Her eyes were still burning from earlier, her throat raw and her body chilled from the remnants she couldn't seem to piece back together. Why didn't anyone want to keep her?
She coughs out into the air, searching for purchase—for anything to hold her together. “I did everything right. I'm nice. I am NICE. They should like me—why don't they like me!? They need to like me! I need them to like me!” She drags herself across the ground, drinking in the breeze while she gagged.
One lifts a leg to caress along the other’s midrib, hushing her softly. “Shhh… You're okay, Leafy…” They hook their leg around her back, all but scooping her up as to rest up against their side and into a cuddle position. Leafy instantly sinks against One’s warmth, flushing at just how… happy she felt. She whined, nuzzling into the hold as her entire body seemed to spill into them.
Leafy covers her face against One’s chest, not wanting to look at any more reminders. She didn't want to think anymore. “I just want people to want me back…” she whispers, her voice low and muffled with exhaustion.
One smiles almost proudly, using a transparent hand to stroke along Leafy’s back, tracing up and down the spine of her stem with an increasing sense of smugness. “You don't need anyone's approval! Though, if love is that important to you…” One grins, her eyes blank and piercing in their fixation. “...I could love you.”
Leafy instantly jumps in One’s hold, her face hot with a skeptic churn of apprehension as she pushes herself back. “W-what!? But you just met me! Love doesn't work like that…” She sighs almost wistfully, looking away as she rubs at her arm. The wisp of her own touch causes her skin to prickle with goosebumps. “It wouldn't be real…”
One shakes their head, a knowing twinkle flickering behind their unchanging demeanor. “And why’s that? From what I’m seeing, you're quite the catch, Leafy!” They giggle, giving her a half-lidded smirk. “It's pretty mind-boggling how quick everyone was to do away with you. What a bunch of ‘dum-dums,’ as you would so eloquently put it.” She leans forward, the leaf in question turning pinker by the second. How cute. “So you took some dumb prize—so what? They're the ones who excluded you first! Really, if you think about it, you were just defending yourself! You reap what you sow and all that jazz.”
One presses her up against her chest, purring at the way Leafy flounders under her delicate touch. She grins at the thrill—the way she could play her so well. Poor thing. “You're the nicest person I've ever seen, Leafy! Even when they've all turned you away, you're still looking out for them! What a waste of your abilities—of your KINDNESS!”
They sneer at the thought, raising a brow. “Let’s face it, Leafy… They don't love you. They don't appreciate you… Really, I doubt they ever have. But me…?” Ghostly, sparkle-riddled fingers carefully brush along the fuzzy expanse of Leafy’s legs, traveling up and around the branching path of veins etched across her green exterior. Leafy tries to remain steady, her foot twitching with each and every playful lap of affection, but she couldn't stop herself from arching into the blissful feeling of someone actually fighting for her attention. One was never one to write off an obvious advantage. “My love would be real. And it could be all yours” they whisper, weaving around the other like a protective spool built to be spun. Leafy’s shallow breaths slowly dwindle to match One’s own tempo, nestled in a web she wouldn't mind staying trapped within. With her skin buzzing and her heart flaring, Leafy wraps her legs around the ridges of One’s hips, digging her heels deep into the number’s skin in the hopes that they won't take it back.
One’s tone, in turn, flutters with speckles of adoration. “My love would be eternal, where no matter what you say, and no matter what you do, leaving you would never cross my mind—not ever! I mean, how could it?” Leafy all but pushes herself harder against One's little bubble of security, craving so badly to crash and fizzle into them until she finally feels whole again. One doesn't disappoint, flaunting her honeyed words with an air of greedy insistence. “You're friendly, talented, and incredibly cute to boot! I’d say it's sad to see others missing out, but then I wouldn't be the one holding the entire package now, would I?”
“You really think I'm worth that much…?” Leafy asks softly, tone tinged with hope. She flaps her hands excitedly, lips stretching wide as she grinned. “You’d really do that? We can be together all the time, and tell each other secrets, and laugh, and chat, and, and…!” She giggles to herself, eyes bright with wonder; someone actually thought she was worth being best friends with!
Or… she’s never had a relationship before. Was it like friendship, but just with a couple of extra steps sprinkled in or something? She's seen people kiss before, or hold hands. Not often, mind you—but she's seen it enough to know that romance wasn't just something she's written or read about in novels while bored out of her mind. It did exist, even if all the people she had surrounded herself with never seemed very interested in the topic before.
She can't lie… The idea of someone loving her so much, to the point of promising themself to her and only her, forever and ever… it was a concept that made her feel heavy with want. She wanted that—someone who’d shower her with so much affection, she’d be drunk—maybe even delirious—with emotions much too overwhelming for her to handle. They'd praise her, and say how badly they wanted her around, and they'd spend every little second of their time making sure she was smiling…
She wanted that. She wanted someone to love her so much in fact, they'd never even think of getting mad at her. They'd stay through it all, and they'd never complain, even if she was manic and stressful to be around. Even if she was ugly and horrible on the inside, they'd still want her anyway, because having her was more important than who she was and who she'd become. It wouldn't matter how bad she was, because they'd just see the good there was in having her there in the first place. Would One… want that? Would they… keep her?
Leafy’s fingers curl into the thin layer of One’s fur, her grip harsh as she slowly lifts her head up to peek past the haze of her own festering fever. Her hand trembles as it sweeps across the number’s cheek thoughtfully, leaning her face forward with a silent plea for them to keep looking—to keep clinging. She stares at them, unblinking and unflinching in her wait. “What would we be…?” she asks, begging for something tangible. She wanted a confirmation that couldn’t be ignored.
One doesn't falter, her tone just as sugary as always. “Well, what would you want us to be, Leafy? I think, for once in your life, you should get to be the one in control for a change. Stop letting others make the decisions for you!” She trills and bellows with a cozy case of soothing murmurs and pacifying scritches, tilting forward. “I'm just trying to help, Leafy! Think about all those nights, hungry, cold, and alone… The people who should've stuck by your side…” Their face darkens, mirroring the flurry of hatred still stuck in her throat. “...they were out there instead, pretending you didn't exist. Pretending they didn't do anything wrong. You didn't want to be out here… You never did. You didn't choose to be.”
Leafy’s hand stutters as she thumbs at the nub hooked at the side of One’s head, feeling almost breathless with a sudden, yawning gnaw of euphoria. “I… I want us to be…” She can feel her cheeks brighten with desire—a love that needed to be returned. “Can we be… more than friends…?” The words tumble out before she can even think about their meaning, her mind already fuzzy with decision. She shivers. “We should be partners. I want to be partners. Romantic ones. A-And as partners, you can't hate me—you wouldn't be allowed to!” Her hands fist into the blue blanket of her salvation, the small tip of her petiole settled snugly along One’s center. Leafy whimpers, hips circling the area as her body howls for someone—anyone—to love her. It hurts, it hurts, IT HURTS. “You'd have to love me all the time, right!? You'd have to want me all the time. Say…” She swallows thickly. “Say you love me. Please say you love me and that I’m good. Tell me how nice I am.”
One responds with a chiming bouquet of giggles, the spot between her thighs tickling with a pleasant pang of sensation that seemed to linger, even long after the fact. It was definitely interesting, even more so at the way in which Leafy looked almost unaware of all her overly-insistent poking and clinging. “Of course you're a good girl, Leafy…” they whisper, Leafy frantically crying for more. “All you ever do is your best. Is that right?” Leafy nods, letting out an awkward giggle of her own, the sound wobbly with an unmistakable edge of giddy-riddled relief.
“Of course I do my best,” she says, trickling with uncontrollable chortles from beneath her breath. She’s quiet for a moment, all before leaning in close… and pecking One right on the cheek.
The kiss was shy and laced with hesitance, innocent in its nature. One’s eyes widened at the unsuspecting action, letting out a surprised little ‘oh!’ upon the feather-light pressure pressed against the side of her face.
It wasn't… bad. It was strange, but… oddly enjoyable, all things considered. It was almost as enjoyable as the heavy ache gliding between her legs, or the funny urge to buck up into the leaf’s nubby little stub that was currently clashing up and against the base of her bridging arcs and valleying curves.
Leafy, for her part, blinks in embarrassment, before promptly throwing said embarrassment right out the window. She leans in again, pressing her mouth softly along the corner of One’s eye, and then a little further down the column of her neck, only to move right back over to the hooking arc of her head with a bit more firmness. Her hands felt up each and every bend of the Algebralien’s flesh, giggling to herself; she was actually allowed to touch someone back. Someone didn't mind it—they wanted her. Her chest pounded with adrenaline, snuggling herself deeper into the opening of One’s lap. “Kiss me back,” Leafy demands, simply. One doesn't ask, already considering herself a fan of this sparking bout of newness stirring between them. They loved a good experience!
“Ha! There you go!” They tease, bringing forth an aura-made hand. With a sparkling gaze, One rests the gleaming hand around Leafy’s petiole, all while leaning in to kiss her, just as asked. Tilting their head, Leafy wraps her arms around them, quickly meeting them halfway with a heady moan muffled at her lips.
She couldn't stop shaking, her hands scrambling to touch any flush of skin she could reach. She didn't know what to do with her hands, or when to stop; all she knew was that she REALLY loved the idea of being loved.
“Ah… O-One…” she pants slightly, wanting to cover her face in her hands at how worked up she was already getting. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth, and whatever it was she was doing right now, it was making her feel hot all over.
Actually, she felt really, really hot—like every single one of her nerve-endings were whirring and firing and making her croak out in a needy plea to be imprinted on—to be marked with the knowledge that she was good enough. It was too much, but not enough—all at once.
She groans as One kisses her again, this time, experimentally licking past the thin line of her lips with a renewed sense of interest. She flutters her eyes shut, brow furrowing with concentration as she feels One’s tongue gloss along the seams of her teeth, exploring the inside of her mouth while she wriggles and whines from where she sat atop One’s lap.
“Mmm… Do it again…” she whispers in an almost pathetic hush, breathless as she yanks One back down for more. One just can't seem to stop chuckling, the noise blipping into a quiet nothingness that made her mind go blank and bleary the second their lips connected once more. One finally makes use of the floating phantom limb curled around Leafy's petiole, its folded grip slowly sliding up and down into a stroking rhythm, her tongue tangling in sync with Leafy’s. Leafy’s eyes snap open when the rush of the action finally fully registers, loudly keening at the beads of pleasure shooting up her stem and through the diverging veins of her very being. She unconsciously slams into One’s agonizing clutch, huffing and puffing with a strained gasp. “Ah—! One! I… ha… I…” she struggles to clear the whirling fuzz clouding her head, blinking rapidly while she attempts to regain some sense of focus. It didn't seem to be working however, pushing herself further into the binding motions of One’s hand. “Please, please, please—One! P-please!” She didn't even know why she was pleading—what she was even pleading for. All she knew was that she needed One to do it; she needed One to love her. The more she touched her, the more it meant she was loved.
She could feel tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, her own hands coming up to guide One’s in silent encouragement for them to continue getting her off—for them to do it faster. One smirks, speaking to her like one would a small child. Maybe, in some ways, she still was one. The thought fills her with shame, even as she chokes out another heated gasp. “Just look at you… All you needed was someone to care, hmm…? You're so pretty when you feel nice.”
Leafy doesn't know whether to laugh or to cry; she didn't think she could ever feel this good. She didn't think she deserved it, the burn of someone else willingly trailing over her body like they cared—like she was actually beautiful enough to appreciate. They thought she was cute, amazing, and nice… She grits her teeth when One plays with her just a tad bit rougher, her face feeling just as hot as the insides of her tummy. It felt tight—like an unsprung spring coiling with unrestrained tension. One's hand climbs over her lower-half like a fragile tower, fingers sticky with her leaking, drooling sap, before slickly sliding down again as she continues to pump her oozing vulnerability for all it was worth. She rocks into One’s hand with all the fraying strength she could muster, sobbing as she hugged them harder—as she balanced and angled her hips to always fuck into One’s tightly-cupped fist. She was burning up—she couldn't stop sweating. Did One find her disgusting? Did she still like her, even with her falling apart at the feel of her being used?
“Ha… ah… One…?” she mumbles weakly, moaning at a particularly long caress that makes her hips grind even harder. “You… like using me, right…?” She sighs, the pitch of her voice rising. “You… you like it enough to keep me, right…? You want me…?” Leafy looks over One’s base, past the darkened trees and lifeless grass up ahead; what would she do if she had let herself get used, only to be thrown away right after? What would she do if One didn't want her anymore—if she thought she was only good to look at and not to love?
Her breath catches with every flicker of goodness—with every moment her body rides up to meet One’s hand’s painfully-addictive embrace. She didn't want this to end. She couldn’t have this taken away from her. “You… you can take everything… just as long as you don't stop…” she pleads softly, laying the upper-half of her body against One’s flattened peak. They absolutely beam at her, their teeth a sharp, zigzagging window into their unbridled delight at the enticing prospect.
With a gentleness that contradicted the uneven urgency of their frenzied strokes, One carefully kissed the spot just beneath Leafy’s eye, clearing away the rolling wisps of her tears. “Oh, Leafy…” they say tenderly, giggling. “It's a deal.” With one, final press from the tips of One’s artificial fingers, Leafy unravels fully, going deathly still as she unfurls and quakes in another’s hold for the first time ever. Her thoughts rush to a sudden, static-filled halt, vision white with a bleary bloom of heat as she tumbles over. Like the snapping of a rubberband, her thighs squeeze together with a resounding shudder, droplets of sap spattering across her tip and over her stomach in a messy mixture of sweetness. She feels almost limp, every cell fried and frayed with overstimulation while One crooned her praises. Leafy, after another quiet, stuttering breath, she allows herself to just… sink.
She melds herself into the mold of One’s warmth, her face hot with contentment. She felt so… floaty—like every worry of hers had been replaced with sunshine and a sense of belonging she could never quite reach. And as One lightly wiped away at the smearing evidence of her weakness, Leafy felt herself grow dizzy with devotion, a lovesick smile blossoming across her lips as she draped herself over One’s base. “You loveeeee me~!” Leafy drunkenly sang, giggling with fulfilment; someone loved her—someone wanted her. They made her feel good, and they didn't leave right after. They didn't leave…
Leafy’s hands fly under and over every dip and dive she can reach, hands squeezing and embedding themselves at the back of One’s ass possessively; she was allowed to touch! The novelty of it all just made her squeeze even harder. “Hehehe! I can't believe this! I-I have a partner, and you'll love me forever and ever and ever!” she gushed, unapologetic in her fondling. “We can sit outside every single night, chit-chatting and stargazing and… and smooching, too! Or, hehe… maybe even more than smooching! Ohh—so ro-MYantic!” She clasps her hands together excitedly as she bounces, gazing down at One with a worshipful glint. One can't help herself from preening under the constant barrage of compliments and hopeless dedication directed her way.
“That's not all we'll do!” they say, twinkling with their own blend of excitement. Leafy simply stares, cheeks flushed and her eyes swimming in a daze as she awaits each and every word. This only urged One on further. “We’ll travel all over, Leafy! Anywhere you wanna be—we’ll be there!” One gives a sensationalized wave of her leg, the air around her shimmering in a showering blitz of stars. Whatever she was selling, Leafy had long since been sold already. “We'll be better than those other lousy, good-for-nothing contestants. Mountains, islands, even the cosmos… they'll all belong to you.” They grin. “Even better—they'll belong to the both of us! And I'll always be there to help you…” Their voice frills with a velvety vice that makes Leafy shiver. “...and love you.”
Leafy falls all over again, giggling dreamily and nuzzling into the lovingly-crafted fort that was One’s tantalizing words and pale-petaled promises. She felt like she was melting—like she was finally safe within the cocooning drizzle of attachment she's been waiting for for so long. She pillows her head and snuggles more comfortably into the spoon, the air’s chill biting at the drying heat of their earlier activity; who needed the others? Obviously, not her! She found something much better.
As sleep slowly begins to take hold, Leafy shuts her eyes, smiling wide at the way her cheek smooshed up against One’s figure oh-so perfectly. Her shoulders droop, breaths fading into soft snores as she finally gives into her exhaustion. One gives herself an internal pat on the back.
“The universe sure knows how to pick ‘em, huh? She's pretty cute though, I'll give it that.” They pause, smirking to themself. “And awfully quick to please...” One chuckles, closing her eyes not long after. That little leaf being as important as she was to the fabric of reality… it was almost funny, especially with how unstable she was.
But that was alright—she loved having herself a little follower of her own; why should Two and Four be the only ones allowed to have any fun? She deserved just as much—if not more—power and attention than either one of them combined. If she couldn't have it all… then why not get the most important piece of the puzzle?
And keep it all for herself.
“Don't worry, Leafy… You're never leaving me,” she whispers out to the night, the sky inked with tranquility. Moths flutter and nature quarrels, her eyelids feeling heavier by the second. They smile.
“You don't have a choice.”