"H-H-H-Howdy!" Celeste raised her hand and gave a light wave along with an unconvincing smile.
Kaito squinted as he leaned on the doorframe and crossed his arms. "What are you doing here?"
Celeste stood motionless, overwhelmed by nostalgia. She crinkled her nose as Kaito's cologne wafted through the air. The aroma made her chest tighten and throat burn. Oh, God. Why am I here? This was a terrible idea. Her teeth began to chatter involuntarily.
"Well? What do you want?"
Why am I here? Why am I here? I don't rememb- She heard the sound of glass shattering. Fuck, that's why I'm here.
Kaito flinched, startled by the noise, "Wha-What was that?!"
QUICK! DISTRACT HIM! "K-KAITO!"
He pivoted back to Celeste, annoyed. "What?!"
Acting 101 freshman year, don't fail me now. Paltry tears began to run down her cheeks. She stared at Kaito with a strained expression. "I fell down and hurt my knee really bad." Forcing some sad sniffles, her crying became more aggressive, "It's a three mile walk home, and I don't have bandages." Her tears began flowing, dripping to the ground. "You're the only one who can help me." She looked up at him with puppy dog eyes, "Could I borrow the first aid box?"
"No."
She began to sweat as the panic set in, C'mon, c'mon. What can I do? Her eyes lit up. I know what you can't refuse. "I'll give you a little something as a 'thank you.'" She winked, her eyes lighting up with seduction. I feel disgusting.
Kaito was taken aback. "U-Umm…" He ran his hand through his wispy hair, staring at Celeste. "What are we talkin' here?"
"Whatever you want us to talk about." She ran her tongue over her lips as she forced her arms together, trying to make her breasts appear bigger.
Silently, he studied her body, smirking, "C'mon in."
That's it. Uta gazed upwards at the second story window. His strength alone would be enough to get up without his kagune; it was as easy as a small hop. Gripping on to the window frame with one hand, he balled his other into a fist and swung it through the glass, causing a large shattering sound. Didn't consider how loud that would be.
With a newly made entrance, he swiftly pulled himself up, vaulting inside. He had arrived in what appeared to be a master bedroom, walls painted white with a queen sized bed dressed in lime green. A big wooden closet sat flush to the wall along with a white vanity, which was home to a scarce amount of makeup; some concealer, mascara, etcetera. The basic stuff.
Mixed up in everything were empty beer cans, crushed and thrown about, while ladies' lingerie were scattered about the room. It was obvious there had been many women there recently.
In the corner stood a stack of varied boxes, all filled to the brim. Each had huge 'C's written in thick black marker. C for Celeste?
He opened the widest box and saw he was correct. They were boxes of Celeste's belongings. One of them was filled with paints and sketchbooks, while another had various articles of clothing. His eyes focused on a small box he hadn't opened and curiosity overtook him. Fine Uta, I'll open it if you insist. He pulled up the flaps and peered inside. The corners of his mouth slightly turned up as he saw photos, toys, and random personal belongings. He hadn't known Celeste for very long, but he knew her personality rested inside that box.
Uta plucked off his sunglasses and rested them on his head, wanting to take a closer look. He picked up a photo of two women, sitting beside each other on a lush, green hillside. A caption was scrawled on the back: 'Ophelia and Estella - 3 year Anniversary.' Humans are lucky. He stared at the photo through his heavy lidded eyes. N ever needing to worry about life or death. Envy sat deep in his chest, but he took no notice.
Uta noticed many of the photos were ripped. He took two halves and placed them together, forming a picture of a young girl with a wide toothless grin. She looked proud to say goodbye to her baby teeth. Her tan skin was dotted with small moles while her chocolate colored hair sat in two buns atop her head. Huh, it's Blue. The back read, 'The tooth fairy took all of Celeste's teeth!' He smiled. Things like the tooth fairy and Santa were rarely heard of in ghoul culture, but seeing how happy a pretend character made little Celeste, he appreciated the fables more than he had before.
Off to the side, a glass figurine of a heroine rested; the head severed. I know you. Uta loved cartoons, despite rarely seeing them when he was younger, (maybe one or two if they broke into a human's home.) Humans had the privilege of sitting and staring at a screen while ghouls spent every moment trying to stay alive.
When he decided to live more like a human, one of the first things he did was explore the world of television. The news made him livid, seeing all the stories about ghouls, but cartoons caught his interest. It was art of course.
Softly, he held the delicate glass head between his fingers, observing it closely with his somber eyes. Really detailed. Shame it's broken.
He pieced together another photo. Ophelia and Estella stood on either side of young Celeste who donned a sparkling blue dress. Smiling from ear to ear, they showed off a piece of paper that read, 'Certificate of Adoption.' Tears ran down their faces as their eyes glimmered with joy. Uta had never seen anyone happier. The back read, 'Our first day as an official family. Ophelia + Estella + Celeste = Love.' A combination of happiness and envy spiraled in his stomach. He put down the torn photo and closed up the box.
Her boyfriend didn't let her bring any of this? That's cruel. Celeste never mentioned stealing back her belongings, but Uta saw it as an entertaining challenge. He pulled out his phone and skimmed through the contact list.
"Yomo speaki-"
"Renji, it's me."
There was an audible sigh on the other side of the line, "What?"
"I need you to bring the car to this address," he listed off his location. Silence. "Renji? Hel-"
"I heard you." Yomo paused, took a deep breath, then spoke in a hushed tone, "Does this involve the human?"
Uta became frigid. Did Touka tell him? He shut his eyes and thought for a second, I would've told Renji eventually. "I-I'll explain once you get here."
Once more, Yomo sighed. "Don't drag me into your midlife crisis."
Uta's brows knit together in frustration. "You're my friend, and I'm not in my midlife. It's a strange situation, and I need your help."
"Call Itori."
He grimaced, "It's a human girl. You know how she'd feel about that." Itori had been attached to Uta since they were children. She constantly went out of her way to grab Uta's attention, and it made him extremely uncomfortable. If she found out there was a girl living with him, all hell would break loose. She would tell the Clowns and Celeste could end up slaughtered. He rubbed his forehead. Why had I not thought this situation through more?
Yomo took a deep breath, "Fine. When do you need me there?"
Uta's eyes shot open, "ASAP."
"Okay, okay. See you in a sec." He quickly hung up.
Uta closed the boxes and moved them toward the window, for an easier exit. The dog. The dog is why I'm here.
He soundlessly moved across the floorboards toward the exit. Immediately, he heard the voices that flowed from downstairs: Celeste's and, Uta presumed, Kaito's. Closing his eyes, he focused his senses to pinpoint any other life in the house. He recognized an animal, and two humans. All clear .
Slowly, he made his way towards the room where he sensed animal. As he pushed open the door, rancid air spilled out and smacked him in the face. Lord Jesus. A cage sat in the middle of the tiled bathroom floor, housing a small dog with a squished nose. He wore a blue collar that was way too big for his unnaturally thin body. His ribs jutted out and it looked as though his leg was badly injured. He panted heavily, staring at the wall with his small eyes glazed over. When he noticed Uta, he weakly lifted a paw and rested it on the side of the cage, quietly whimpering.
"Uhhhh…Hm...Mike? Mick?" What was your name? Hmmmm...Michael? Michael Scott? Is that it?" As he heard his name, the dog's tail slowly began to wag from side to side. Uta crouched next to the cage and rested his hand where the dog's paw was. Mikey's black beady eyes reflected his own and he couldn't help but smile.
Quietly, he unlatched the cage and helped Michael out. With each step, he whimpered and yelped in pain. Uta picked him up and held him close, not sure how to comfort an animal. " I guess you'd like some water." Uta carried him to the sink and turned the tap on, quiet enough that no one would hear. Holding Michael in one arm like a small baby, he cupped his available hand beneath the faucet, collecting water. He brought his hand up and placed it in front of Michael. After a few sniffs of the strangers hand, Mikey began licking Uta's palm as thought it was his water bowl. Uta continued until Michael looked as if he finished. He wasn't sure what to do next. All he could do was wait for Yomo.
He snuck back to the bedroom, and placed Michael on the bed. His filthy paws left prints on the light green fabric, but Uta paid it no mind. The color's gaudy anyway. One at a time, Uta picked up Celeste's boxes and dropped them into the yard. Michael Scott watched from the bed as a strange man in sunglasses stole their belongings. However, Mikey didn't mind. The man held him just like his mommy did. He hadn't been held in a while.
Once Uta had finished moving the boxes, he began listening to the conversation that echoed down the hallway. Michael had fallen asleep, happy that he had something more comfortable than a cage.
"T-Thank you," Celeste took a seat as Kaito retrieved the bandages from the kitchen cupboard. She eyed the familiar living room where she had spent countless days and nights. At times she had been too worried to sleep alongside Kaito, so cuddling under a blanket on the sofa was the next best option. The room appeared foreign with the lack of fluffy blankets or the small dog burrowing in her lap.
"Where ya living?"
"Oh, uhh…" Should I tell him the actual ward? "Uhhh...4th ward."
"Ah, didn't wander far." Their house, I mean, Kaito's house was located in the 3rd ward. It was only about 4 miles away from HySy. Celeste only now realized she should've left Tokyo, instead of wandering between each ward. These decisions could bite me in the ass later.
"Y-Yeah, my friends are here in Tokyo. Same with my school." Celeste looked down into her lap, twiddling her thumbs.
"I assumed you'd have pussied out of school by now. 'Toooo stresssfuuullll' you'd say."
It felt as though he had punched her in the gut, "Haha, yeah. I'm still," she gave a weak thumbs up, "still chugging along."
"There's that weird Cellie humor." Kaito took a seat next to her as he pinched her cheeks.
Ow, that hurt!
He was about to wrap her knee in a bandage, but paused, "This is pretty much a scab. It's not bleeding or anything."
Shit.
Kaito placed his hand on her knee, slowly moving it up to her thigh, "Could it be that you missed me?"
Her face turned beet red as she continued staring at her lap, God, I forgot how handsome he was. If I tried harder, he might let me live here again. I'd have my home back. I'd have someone who loves me.
"If you miss me that much, maybe we can spend some nights together," he continued to run his hand up her thigh as he placed his other hand on the arch of her back, "When I'm bored, I'll call you over and we can have some fun together. How does that sound?" He grinned as he rubbed up and down her back, sending shivers down her spine.
When you're bored? I can come over when you're bored? Celeste pulled away and attempted to stand up, but he pulled her back in and aggressively planted his lips on hers. Startled, a small squeal escaped her throat, but she quickly shut up as Kaito became more aggressive. He doesn't love me. He only wants me for sex...Should I say yes? I want to say yes.
Uta stood at the top of the stairs, watching their interaction unfold . Shit. Quickly, he grabbed Michael Scott and climbed out the bedroom window, landing gracefully on the grass. He gently placed the thin, frail animal on the soft grass, "Stay right here. I'll be back soon with your mom." Mikey lay down next to the boxes and wagged his tail. Uta awkwardly patted the dog's head, not sure how to praise him.
Thankfully, Uta had thought of a plan to get Celeste out the house. He thought it was a genius idea, but anybody else would say it was dumb. Standing up, he yanked out his hair tie, causing his longer hair to fall down. It didn't look much different from when his hair was up, but Uta liked keeping the longest strands off his neck. He parted his hair and brushed half onto the shaved side of his head, giving the appearance of a full head of hair. Can't switch faces for a disguise in front of Blue, but this'll do. He opened Celeste's box of clothes and searched for anything that looked fancy. Here we go. He located a small red bowtie that he could clip right to his black turtleneck. Uta got down to Michael Scott's level and whispered, "I'll be back." The pup wagged his tail in response.
Stop, stop, stop… Scooping her up, Kaito carried her to the couch, and set her down. He mounted her stomach and continued aggressively kissing her. I want to leave, I want to leave! Get away from me! Celeste's body moved its own, shoving Kaito backwards off her stomach. Awestruck, he froze, surprised Celeste resisted his advances. Anger overtook him as he lunged forward, forcing her arms above her head, preventing her pursuing protests.
"Did you just try and push me off? What, you're not enjoying yourself?!" Almost as if in slow motion, Kaito's hand struck Celeste's cheek, sending a shock down her spine as he continued caressing her body. He yanked Uta's 'lucky' black hat from Celeste's head and noticed her newly cut hair. He ran a strand through his fingers, grinning as she began to squirm underneath him. "Your hair's short." He paused and leaned in again, his breath grazed her skin like a sharp blade. The disgusting stench of liquor filled her nostrils, "It's sexy." Planting his lips on her neck, he began to nip at her skin, almost drawing blood. Celeste squeezed her eyes shut, Just get it over with Celeste. You've done this before.
* Ding Dong* Her eyes shot open as Kaito spun around to look at the door. Uta. It's probably Uta. How did I forget about Uta?
Kaito sprung off Celeste, "Hide. Get behind the couch."
Celeste quickly sat up, "W-W-Why?"
"BECAUSE I SAID SO."
Startled, Celeste obeyed, stumbling to her feet and crouching behind the sofa. Her eyes watered from Kaito's slap, and she held her hand over her cheek, praying it wouldn't leave an unsightly mark. She leaned back against the sofa, her chest quickly rising and falling, attempting to catch her breath.
Kaito slowly opened the door and peeked through the crack. A businesslike man with black hair and sunglasses stood outside. He wore a black long sleeved shirt with a cheesy red bowtie. His ears, eyebrow, and lip were pierced, and it freaked Kaito out. "Can't you read?! The sign says 'no soliciting.'"
The man's face remained blank. "I'm here to pick up Miss Celeste; the girl behind the sofa."
Kaito's eyes widened as he looked back and forth between the strange man and the sofa. "T-There's no girl behind that sofa."
"I am Miss Celeste's driver. I have come to collect her."
"D-Driver?"
Celeste slowly crawled out and revealed herself, "W-W-Well, I can't drive, so...might as well hire someone to do it f-f-for me."
Kaito's face turned crimson, "That makes no fucking sense. Don't you ride the b-"
"Miss Celeste, we need to go."
Anxiously glancing at Kaito, she slowly stood up, dizzy from rising too fast. She took a detour to the sofa, swiftly grabbing Uta's black hat, then proceeded to stumble towards the door.
Uta casually bowed as Celeste arrived at the door. "Miss Celeste, the car is parked around the corner."
She stared at Uta, wanting to giggle from his stupid disguise, but managed to keep a straight face. "Y-Yes, let's go." She turned to Kaito and waved, "B-B-Bye." Uta offered his hand to safely help her down the step, and her face flared up. She gently put her hand in his, stepping down then making her way across the rocks.
Uta immediately noticed that she'd been hit. He tightened his jaw, trying to repress his temper. Nice job protecting her Uta. He whispered to Celeste, "Car around corner. I'll meet you there."
There's really a car?! Did he steal a car?! Trembling with wide eyes, she slowly nodded and went on ahead, positioning Uta's hat back on her head.
Uta turned and walked towards Kaito; tossing his hair back to one side. Snarling while furrowing his eyebrows, he shoved his pointer finger into Kaito's face, "You will never hurt her ever again. Do you understand?"
Kaito glanced down at his long finger and scoffed, "Painted nails? What are you, fuckin' gay?"
Uta pulled his hand back, crossing his arms agitatedly. "I'm into women, too." He pulled his glasses to the tip of his nose, flashing a glimpse of his pitch black eyes that hid behind the dark glasses. Kaito cut the mockery and stood motionless, his body trembling, "Why? Are you interested?" Uta smirked and winked at the petrified man, while Kaito struggled to breathe with the ghoul standing on his doorstep. Uta leaned back and pushed his glasses up, "Sorry. Idiots that prey on and take advantage of people aren't my type." He turned and took a few steps before looking back to Kaito. "If you go near her again, I will personally see to your death." Grinning, he ran his long, pale finger across his throat, implying immediate eradication.
Kaito slammed and locked the door as he tried to catch his breath. Immediately, he snatched his phone from the table and quickly skimmed through his contact list. He slammed his finger onto Celeste's contact information, proceeding to delete every trace of it from his phone.