OKAY so hopefully the chapter isn't corrupted anymore, omg. Thank you TheParadoxicalOxymoron for pointing it out (and your game ref was hilarious)!

This website can meet me in the pit! It can 1v1 me on Final Destination, no items, Fox only.

Enjoy (for real this time)!

~Goldie

Vincent was pacing around on the relaxation tier. He had been pacing since he climbed up, and he was starting to get a few strange looks from the other sheep. His familiar group of strategizing sheep had invited him over for a discussion before they travel to the next level, but Vincent declined, saying he needed to think something over for a while.

He wasn't really thinking, as much as he was just gathering the courage to step foot into the confessional booth with...

...him.

Vincent felt nervous. More nervous than when facing an unscalable block tower. He bit at his nails, trying to calm the butterflies flitting in his stomach.

'Come on. I can't stand out here the entire night, just go in and talk to him!'

He stopped pacing, looking over the edge of the tier and examining the endless space below.

'That's certainly an option...'

Vincent shook his head to dispel that morbid (but humorous) suggestion. 'Don't be like that. It'll be easy, you've done this before. Remember when you asked out Katherine? That went well. Do the same thing! It'll probably work...besides, he can probably see you pacing around like and idiot. Spare yourself the humiliation and go!'

As if on autopilot, Vincent's body walked to the confessional, his mind blank and his heart pounding. The brunet pulled back the curtain and stepped inside. He sat on the uncomfortable wooden bench just as the mysterious voice began to laugh.

"What were you doing out there?!" It cackled, not even trying to hide the outburst. "Back and forth, back and forth...then you looked like you were considering jumping off the ledge! What on earth has gotten into you, lamb!" Astaroth's laughter died down, and he released a calming breath.

"Seems like something is on your mind."

"You."

Vincent cringed. That wasn't how he wanted to start this conversation, but it was too late to back out.

"Wh-what?" The demon stammered, obviously not expecting that answer.

Vincent scratched his head.

"Yeah. So, uh. I don't know if...if you've noticed, but..." Vincent fumbled over his words, brain running a mile a minute, and mouth moving like molasses. "You've been kinda, flirting with me?"

Astaroth was quiet. Vincent decided to continue.

"Uh...and I sort of realized I've been flirting with you..." 'Great job Vince, this is exactly how it went with Katherine. Wait, no it's not, you could actually COMPLETE YOUR SENTENCES WITH KATHERINE.'

"I think that," he kept going, "You like me. But that's okay, because...I like you?"

The other didn't speak. It didn't even sound like he was breathing. Was Vincent's little manic confession too awkward for him? Vincent sighed.

"That was awful. So the, uh, the point I'm trying to get at is...I'd like to go out with you. I mean, if that's even possible, since you're some sort of dream demon-person-"

"Are you saying..." Astaroth finally spoke, voice neutral. Vincent shut right up.

"Are you saying you...wish to court me?"

Vincent chuckled at that.

"Well, I guess? "Court" is a pretty formal way to put it, but yeah."

Again, Astaroth grew quiet on the other side of the confessional. The brunet wished he knew what the other was thinking about.

There was a loud voice, which reverberated inside the booth Vincent sat in.

THIS IS THE TENTH QUESTION: DO YOU LOOK FOR APPEARANCE OR PERSONALITY IN A MATE?

When the tassled ropes dropped in front of him, Vincent hesitated.

"So, are you okay with me...courting you?"

Astaroth didn't speak. When the silence streched out, the brunet sighed and grabbed a hold of the rope on his right. 'Looks are nice, but considering I'm currently into a guy I've never actually seen before, I'd have to say I am more into personality.'

He tugged on the golden rope, causing the pair of them to dissolve into the air.

"..." Vincent hunched his shoulders, chewing on his lower lip. The other was being uncharacteristically hushed. Could he have misread the situation?

With genuine concern in his voice, Vincent spoke. "Did I...say something wrong?"

No response.

But then...

"...time."

If he wasn't listening for it, Vincent would've missed what the other muttered.

"Say again?" He strained to hear the other talk.

"I need some time. I need to think about this."

...fair enough. Vincent nodded, even though the other couldn't see it.

Astaroth sent Vincent's booth to the tower above. The demon was...thinking. Was what he did with Vincent "flirting"? It didn't seem like it at first, but the more he thought about it...The incessant teasing, the implications and innuendos, the pet names. How Vincent flustered Astaroth with a sharp wit and a smug grin. He made Astaroth blush, he made him laugh, he...

...he was a human. He was sent to this nightmare world- along with many others- so the weak would be weeded from existence.

But Vincent wasn't weak. He was...something else. Astaroth almost laughed out loud when the word "special" flashed through his mind.

Almost.