"Is this all of it?" Touka remarked at how little Celeste had packed.

"Y-Yeah, it's pretty pathetic. Kaito didn't let me take anything when I left."

"What a fucking dick. He's the one that cheated."

Expressionless, Celeste placed her hairbrush in the small cardboard box. It's not his fault. I just wasn't good enough. She sighed, "I guess I'm ready to go."

Touka gave a small, comforting smile as she opened the front door. God, Uta please don't eat my friend. I'm fucking BEGGING you.

Celeste attentively walked down the apartment's metal stairs, avoiding injuries at all cost. "Ah, so ya decided to move out?" A plump man with short, greasy hair stood up from his plastic lawn chair, smoking a cigarette. Celeste and Touka despised the smell, but not as much as they despised the man himself, "I was lookin' forward to getting to know ya, Sweetheart."

"Y-Y-Yeah, too bad I can't stick around!" Celeste warily smiled at him. He was the landlord; the reason she couldn't stay with Touka, insisting she had to pay double rent if she wanted a roommate. However, Celeste knew the rule was made up out of spite. A few days prior, she had refused his advances; his creepy advances. Immediately after, Touka got a letter saying she had to throw out her friend or pay up. Everyone's lives would've been easier if I had just gone along with it. Nice job, Celeste.

"Well, we'll really miss ya, Ms. Celeste," he made an exaggerated pouty face, mocking her.

"Come on, let's go," Touka grabbed Celeste's shoulders and led her away from the landlord. Fucking bastard. If he knew I was a ghoul, he wouldn't act like such an asswipe.

Celeste and Touka paused at the entrance of Hysy, looking at each other.

"I hope you enjoy your new, weird, strange home," Touka pulled her friend into a bear hug. Uta, I swear to fucking God if you fuck anything up I will personally take it upon myself to fucking murder you.

"Y-Y-Yeah. It'll be f-fun." As Touka released her, Celeste knocked on the door.

Celeste, it's a store. You don't need to knock.

"This is a store. You don't need to knock," Uta answered the door so swiftly that it startled Celeste.

"AH!" she stared at him, then quickly grew embarrassed due to her sudden outburst. COME ON CELESTE! FIX THIS. "T-There's a spider on your shoulder! Let me get it for you." Touka and Uta watched as she awkwardly smacked his shoulder. "I got it! A-All better…"

"Thanks?" Uta stood confused as he looked at his shoulder. He returned his gaze to Celeste and Touka as he held the door open, "Well, come in so the spiders don't get you too."

Touka rolled her eyes. "I have a shift starting soon so I'm just dropping her off."

"Sounds like a mom dropping her kid at school."

"S-She just made sure I didn't get eaten on the way here." Oh god, I can't do this. I can't do this. He's scarier than I remember. I wish he had kept the glasses on. He had most of his hair up, with just a few strands hanging down; both eyes on full display.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Celeste. Text me in a bit when you've unpacked."

"Y-Yeah! Thank you!" Celeste pulled Touka into another hug, snuggling into her friend's neck.

"Just be safe," Touka replied, stroking Celeste's hair.

Like I said; a mom dropping off her kid at school, Uta smiled.

"I'll take you to your room first, then show you around downstairs," Uta carried Celeste's modest cardboard box as he led her up a short staircase to her new home. At the top, a lone, antique-looking door sat. Uta turned the doorknob and pushed, revealing a room almost as big as Touka's apartment. Propping the door open with a small piece of wood, he looked at Celeste, "Is this okay?"

It was obvious it had been an art studio at some point. Contrasting colors of dried paint dotted the ground, while some old easels leaned in the corner against a ladder. There were plenty of shelves, most empty after being cleared by Uta the day before. The room wasn't too dusty, as he had taken it upon himself to clean it as best he could.

Celeste was elated, and she couldn't hide it. She was grinning from ear to ear, "Y-Yes, yes, this is wonderful! Thank you so much!"

"I've put most of the stuff in storage. I just need to find a place for the rest of this stu-"

"K-Keep the stuff here! It's fine! I'll only take up like a quarter of the room."

He looked at her, squinting,"You're allowed to take up more than a quarter."

Celeste stumbled, "H-How about half? I'm not used to a big space."

"How about three quarters? Can you do that?"

"I-I-I'm not sure I can fill that much room."

"Give it your best shot," Uta put down Celeste's box on a wooden desk that held cups of various tools; pencils, paint brushes, rulers, etcetera. "How's the bed?"

Celeste's eyes scanned the room until she spotted the little bed. Her eyes widened, "I-I don't need a whole bed! A blanket in a corner is more than enough."

Uta sighed. This girl won't give up. "It's yours, Blue. That bed's been in storage as long as this store's been open."

This was a lie. He bought the frame and mattress yesterday.

Celeste gently sat atop the bed. If it's as old as he says it is, I'm afraid it'll break. Its frame was a smooth, dark brown wood that matched its beautifully carved headboard. She noticed the dark gray blanket she was sitting upon had detailed embroidery along the edges. The intricate pattern around its perimeter resembled shadows of trees while the center had a meticulously stitched moon surrounded by minuscule stars. She noticed the different constellations consciously created by the artist. The attention to detail was fascinating. "D-Did you make this?" Celeste questioned.

Uta was now dusting the top of a tall shelf with the sleeve of his sweater. The light gray dust stood out on his dark turtleneck. "No, I've never done embroidery."

This was also a lie. Uta made the blanket about a year ago, which Itori proceeded to poke fun at him for doing such a feminine activity. He had no problem doing feminine things, he wore skirts for Christ's sake, but felt embarrassed that a close friend had laughed at something he worked so hard on. So, into the attic it went.

"Nonetheless, it's beautiful," Celeste whispered as she traced her fingers over the detailed designs. Whether he noticed or pretended to ignore it, his heart fluttered at her words.

She glanced above her and immediately knew she had found her favorite part of the room. There was a huge window that showed off the evening sky, with its yellow and orange hues. The colored light painted the floor and wall with the beautiful shades of the sunset. Celeste was giddy with excitement as she thought of how the sky would look at night.

"I like the window too," Uta told her, snapping Celeste back into reality, "It brings in a lot of natural light." He paused and looked towards it, "Stars look really nice too." He stood there for a second, before returning to Celeste's box o' belongings. "Is this it?"

"Is what, what?"

"Is this all your stuff?"

"U-Uhh...technically I own quite a bit more than that."

"Where's it all?"

"Uhhhh...ha...ha...ummm…" Celeste cleared her throat, "It's still at my uhhh...old home."

Oh, shit. Uta remembered. The cheating boyfriend. "So, this is all the stuff you have access to?"

"Haha...ha...ha...yeah. Gotta remember to lift the box with my back, not my legs," she joked.

Uta raised his eyebrows, "Other way around. Please don't lift with your back, Blue."

Every time he used that nickname, Celeste was caught off guard. It felt like a jump scare that could pop up at any time to startle her. However, it was a great deal better than the landlord calling her 'Sweetheart.' I suppose the nickname isn't the worst he could've chosen. Clumsy Gremlin would've also made a great one. It would've been more accurate.

"Do you plan on ever getting your stuff back?"

"Haha...no." Celeste didn't want to think about going near that house. The thought of it petrified her.

"Why not?" Uta was aware she hadn't made eye contact with him since she walked in, and he knew his curiosity wasn't helping. "Isn't it his fault? You dealt with his shit, so you deserve your belongings." It somewhat ticked him off that she didn't plan on getting revenge after what he'd done. She didn't even plan on confronting him.

"I'd rather not go back there," she mumbled. Despite trying to hide it, Uta could see her lip quivering. "I have everything I need in here. Look." She picked up her box from the desk, and handed it to Uta, then decided to settle on the bed. Her legs still ached from her injuries.

To Celeste's surprise, Uta quietly took a seat on the bed next to her and folded his long legs, holding the box in his lap. Celeste's face began to heat up from being on such a small bed with Uta. Too close, too close. Meanwhile, Uta fiddled with the few objects she had handed him.

He picked up two small, wrapped items. "Two tampons. I'm no expert, but I think you need more than that."

"AH!" Celeste smacked them from his hand, sending the tampons flying across the room. "S-S-SORRY, I FORGOT ABOUT THOSE. I'm going to buy more soon so...j-j-just forget about that."

"Okay," Uta pulled out a small sketchbook. He knew some people didn't like to show their sketches, including him. "Can I look inside?"

"I-I-It's just my school sketchbook; mostly notes." Her eyes were wide, staring at the book, obviously freaking the fuck out. Please don't open it, please don't open it. She turned away, too anxious to watch.

Uta carefully began to turn the pages. As she bit at a fingernail, Celeste peeked out the corner of her eye, watching his deep eyes pour over all her notes and drawings. She never let anyone see her art; not even Touka. Should I smack it out his hand just like I did the tampons? Should I tear out the pages so he'll never see the rest? Should I ask him to stop? Should I-

"You're really talented, Blue," Uta said. He wasn't surprised. Continuing to paw through the book, he poked fun at her, "Your handwriting could use some work though." She continued to destroy her nails as her face got more and more red by the second. It felt as though she was being choked and held underwater at the same time. Panicattackpanicattackpanicpanic-

Uta heard Celeste breathing heavily, and leaned forward to check on her. She had purposely brought her bangs forward to render her anxiety undetectable. Just stay calm. It's okay. Uta delicately moved her bangs to the side to make sure she hadn't died, but if Celeste wasn't dead yet, she sure as hell was now. I'M NOT CALM I'M NOT CALM MAYDAY MAYDAY I'M DYING I'M DYING . Impulsively, she threw herself off the bed, face first onto the wood floor. I might as well stay like this forever. I'll never get up. I won't have to look at scary guy anymore or awkwardly talk to Ken. I won't have to be such a weight on Touka while she's trying to live her own life. This wooden floor is my new home.

Uta had never personally dealt with anxiety, or feelings, for that matter. His emotions ranged from happy, to none. Though he looked like a guy who wallowed in sadness daily, he rarely touched it. He knew how to keep himself entertained if he noticed his feelings approaching 'none.' Usually it involved killing or eating. More often than not, these activities happened at the same time. However, this human couldn't do that. She seemed to have negative emotions when it came to everything. Surely she knew how to fix herself.

Uta, please leave the room and let me die in embarrassment by myself. A few minutes of silence followed. It wasn't awkward; it felt more comforting.

"I made this blanket." Uta confessed as he extended his fingers to feel the stitching he hadn't seen in so long, "A friend teased me, so I shoved it up here."

Celeste remained lifeless on the ground, nose hurting from being face down. She whispered something so softly that a human wouldn't have been able to hear it, but Uta's ears easily picked it up, "Not much of a friend." He agreed, but quickly pushed the thought to the back of his mind. It was too stressful.

He wanted to thank her for the earlier compliment. Surprisingly, no one had ever called his work beautiful. However, no matter how hard he tried, his gratefulness wouldn't leave the tip of his tongue. For a reason not even he knew, Uta refused to accept this girl's compliment. He decided the best thing was to lighten the mood by asking about the other items.

He pulled out a little pencil case that resembled a panda. It's beady eyes reflected his own, provoking a small smirk. He unzipped it to reveal various pastel pencils meticulously sharpened with the shortest one being blue; affirming her nickname. Uta carefully picked up a folded piece of paper shoved in the corner of the case and opened it. He had stumbled across the draft of a love note for Ken. Whoops. Let's not bring this up. "I like the panda case. It's cute."

Celeste mumbled into the floorboards, "Thanks."

Next, Uta pulled out a sleeping mask that resembled an orange and white cartoon fox. It had little ears with two shut eyes. Towards the bottom, there was a small black nose. Maybe I should try making sleeping masks. "I think your fox mask just inspired me to try my hand at sewing masks for sleeping."

Celeste slowly turned onto her back and pushed herself into a sitting position while carefully scooching to rest her back on the wall. "I-It helps when I take daytime naps. I think it calms me down." She hugged her legs against her chest and rested her cheek on her knee, looking toward the bed. "I could test out any masks you make if you want."

"Sounds like a plan." He smiled at her, but she still refused to make eye contact. Uta tried not to let this bother him. At this point, he knew Celeste was very different from anyone he had met. It definitely took some getting used to. He picked up a dog collar shoved at the bottom of the box and read the collar. Michael Scott? "Did you have a dog named Michael Scott?"

She smiled and giggled, "Yeah, Mikey. I named him after a character on a TV show. It's a dumb name, but he's a dumb pup." Celeste was laughing with each word. It was obvious she loved her dog more than anything.

So, the dog isn't dead? "Where's he at?"

She took a deep breath through her nose, "Where do you think?"

Is her dog at the house as well? God fucking dammit. If she loves the dog so much, why would she leave him?

As though reading his mind, she piped up, "Why did I leave my dog? It doesn't make sense, yeah?" She looked into her lap, "We fought over Mikey, even though he's my pup. My boyfriend," she paused, "Sorry, ex- boyfriend, was literally pulling him from my arms. I couldn't stand the sound of him yelping in pain, so I gave up," she leaned back, resting her head on the wall," I know it's stupid and weak, but I didn't want to risk hurting Mikey." Celeste pointed at the collar, "That's the first one he had. Reminds me of when I adopted him a few years back."

Ghouls rarely had pets, and Uta found them pointless. It's one more thing to worry about in his life. But looking at Celeste's face, he realized how important he was to her. She loved the little hairy blob that peed everywhere and drooled on the floor. He didn't understand, but she made him want to understand.

"Blue," he moved his long legs over the end of the bed and stood up, straightening his shirt. Uta took a step toward Celeste and crouched down to her level, holding out the dog collar, "Let's go get Michael Scott."

Celeste's gaze shot up as her eyes grew wide. "What?"


Yeah I named the dog Michael Scott