"Oh! Oh!" Dana 's eyes lit up and stood on the creepateria table "I have another one!"

Their cousins Heath and Holt laughed as other students gathered around the spawn of Satan as they shapeshifted into a rotten corpse with white hair.

"And remember: I don't give As!" Dana imitated 's voice perfectly as the rest of the students erupted into laughter.

"Mx. Devil!" The eyes of Dana widened as they returned to their humanoid form and they met with the actual Mr. Rotter.

Dana arrived early to the detention classroom with the intention of whispering into the teacher's conscience to let them go early. But they got distracted with a familiar ghoul already sitting there.

"Jinafire?" They said upon recognizing the Dragon (who was also their cousin's ghoulfriend) and taking a seat next to her. "What's a bonnie place like this doing with a ghoul like you?

"Oh, hey Dana!" She waved. "Me and Skelita had an 'Unauthorised' Chili Eating competition in the howlway. Surprisingly enough she runs a lot faster than me"

"Hot," Dana said, Jinafire raised an eyebrow "I mean…cool! Sorry I forget up here that has…connotations"

"Oh!" Jinafire sighed in relief, letting a little bit of dragon breath slip out. "For a split second I thought you were heating on me," Dana frowned for a few second until the burst out laughing

Jinafire frowned too."Did I say something funny?...Or is the idea of liking me hilarious to you?"

"Oh lass, stick to jade, angry ain't a good colour on ya" They said, whipping a laughing tear.``I was laughing at the prospect of me heating on someone at all! Fun stuff really."

Dana's laughter suddenly stopped when they realised what they said.

Jinafire blinked in confusion"I mean, you must have had a scrush at some point right?"

"Nope, not really my thing" they waved it off as no beast deal. Even though they knew how these conversations usually went.

"Wait, you're telling me you have never liked anyone?" Jinafire pushed to Dana's dismay "And you are…cool with it?"

Dana took a deep breath.

"Look mate," they said not everything in the underworld is about Love…To be dead honest, I'm not even sure I like the concept…. Mansters, Enboos and Ghouls. They all seem to want a connection to someone. And that's hot to me, really, but I'm not sure I need it or want it…simple as hell…"

Dana expected follow up questions but what they didn't account for was:

"You know Dana, you gave me a lot to think about…" Jinafire said and the proceeded to stare out of the window wistfully.

"Huh?…" Now Dana was the confused one` ''it's usually not a good augury when someone says that to me…"

"Hey hot stuffs! I'm home!" Dana said as they slumped on the couch. " Detention was heaven let me tell you I even–...Huh?" Their eyes widened as they realised Heath was sitting on the easy chair looking sad and Holt was patting him on the back

"hey what's down?...Did you fall for a Nympherian Scam again?" Dana inquired

"It's Jinafire," Holt said.

"She broke up with me, via text" Heath addded.

"What?" Dana said."I thought you guys were magma solid?"

"She said that she didn't feel what she thought she should feel, that she wasn't aware that not being in love wasn't an option…To be dead honest I didn't understand a single thing she meant…" Heath explained quickly, trying to look like he hadn't been crying.

"Ohh,"Dana put the pieces together. "I mean…well you know what they say cous: there are plenty of souls in Hell! Or…something like that. W-well it's getting late, better go to bed okay boo-bye!" They quickly left the scene and ran to their room.

They were biting their claws off in guilt when a voice interrupted them

"Hey Dana, are you alright?" Holt looked concerned as his cousin turned around.

"Pfft! Me?" they pointed at themselves and sneered "I'm as happy as a sinner in a, a ummm…you know?" "I'm 'chill', like they say here, no worries my mate…"

"Dana," he warned. "Don't make me get Jackson."

"Aw Heaven! He loves to play psychoanalyst…alright fine," They gave up and fel dramatically on their bed

"it's just that…Jinafire breaking up with Heath might have been a tiny teetsy my fault…"

Holt raised an eyebrow"What do you mean?"

Well, it's complicated really? Or maybe it's not at all complicated but it's kinda out there for some monsters to understand…"

"You're talking to me, Dana." He reminded them "C'mon, what's so terrible?"

"Well it's just that I…You know you met a Manster, a Ghoul or an Enboo and you fall in love and blah blah?"

"Yeah?"

"Well ….I've never… felt that…" They confessed "And when I told Jinafire about it, I think she realised what I already knew about myself…"

"I'm… not… following you." he also admitted

"See? Ugh that's what everyone says: 'There's a Yin for Every Yang', 'Oh you just haven't found the right monster…', 'aren't you lonely?' Ugh it's so…dang it!"

"Okay," he sat next to them "so, you are saying that you don't feel love for anyone?"

"I mean… love is a big word ya know? I'm sure I feel a connection to you cousins and my mama and even some friends but when it's romance, flirting and touching I just…I'm not into it, at all."

"Okay, so you don't feel…romantic love? And you told Jinafire about it and now she realised she doesn't feel it either?"

"Yes, exactly. See?" They stood up and covered their horned head with their hands "That's why no one should think about the things I say! Mama dang it!"

There was a hellish silenc for a few seconds until Holt spoke again

"Look Dana, it's true that romance it's a great thing," They rolled their eyes."For me, and for a lot of monsters, but like, you don't have to like it. That's totally cool with me, and it should be cool with everyone because it's none of their boosness."

Holt looked down after pronouncing those words and he almost didn't caught his cousin running up to him and hugging him

"Thank you for saying that, Holt." They said softly "I guess I'm not used to people getting it."

"Hey, I actually don't get it but like since when it's that a requirement to be chill with someone?"

Dana noded."I'm still kinda scared of telling Heath, though."

"Yeah, he kinda puts a lot of value in romance, but he'll get over it, in the meantime. You're secret's safe with me…"

"Thanks cous." They gave him another soul crushing hug.