(Let's also ignore that I'm proofreading this right before updating).

Hungry Like the Wolf: Part Nine

Winter has never felt such bliss before as she lies on her back on the couch. She hasn't even finished the food she ordered earlier but is stuffed with The Rampion's cheese buns and milkshakes of varying flavours. Maybe she should've gone to The Rampion first instead, but then she wouldn't have had her marvellous idea to get all the milkshakes. She can barely move and her eyes droop. The past ten minutes are a blur of sipping and watching Jacin lose his mind on the other end of a video call.

All she wants to do is sleep right here on the couch.

Jacin Bae: Spades, it's like you're on drugs.

Winter sighs contently. "I regret that more than the ghost pepper."

Jacin Bae: I told you not to drink them all.

"I didn't listen."

Jacin Bae: 'cause you muted the call after I told you not to do that.

"Why didn't you stop me?"

Jacin Bae: I literally tried to. A thousand times. Hard to do much over a muted call when you also lowered the screen.

They both laugh before she picks up her phone again. She holds it tightly so it won't fall on her face.

"I'll pass out," Winter whispers, smiling brightly. Her heart flutters when Jacin smiles at her.

Jacin Bae: I'll call you another time. Get some sleep. Goodnight, Trouble.

-o-

Scarlet ushers the staff of The Rampion out after cleaning up for the night. She made Wolf help out with taking out the trash and gathering menus (which he would do anyways) as she wipes the tables and countertops. Another waitress swept the floors as the cooks handled the kitchen.

But now they're alone in the diner. It's kind of eerie to see it empty when they're both used to seeing it full of people eating and chatting, staff running around fulfilling orders and serving.

"Here are your wages for the night," Scarlet says, coming out of the kitchen with some food.

He sits in a booth and she puts down two dishes before sliding in next to him. They're still warm and he puts his arm around her as she takes out two forks for them from her apron.

"Okay, they're leftovers from the kitchen that I claimed and reheated in the microwave," Scarlet tells him. "Jasper from the kitchen got the burgers and fries but we got pizza and lasagna." She looks at him when he isn't saying anything. "What?"

"We're allowed to stay here?" Wolf asks.

"I'm closing up so I make the rules."

"That's not how it works when I close up the gym."

"Technically, I close up when I'm done and we're still eating."

She pats his leg and cuts out a corner piece of the lasagna with her fork as Wolf takes a piece of pizza. He didn't know The Rampion even served pizza but it's probably some recently added item like the black bean casserole Cress was telling him about. If anyone asked him, he'd eat the sauce-filled pizza over black beans.

"This pizza tastes like Rampion food," Wolf says, grabbing a napkin from the table dispenser because he feels some on the corners of his mouth.

"Because you're at The Rampion," Scarlet responds with a smirk. "That's the point. Is that a bad thing?"

Wolf shrugs. "I like pizza."

"Clearly. Since when were you a food critic?"

"Since now."

Scarlet grins as she slides the lasagna to him. "Okay, fair, what about the lasagna? A newish addition to the menu and it seems to be doing well. I think it's cheesy and cozy as a lasagna should be."

Wolf takes a bite and sits back for a bit, thinking about the saucy and cheesy goodness with the soft noodles.

"I could make love to a lasagna," he admits before taking another bite.

Scarlet stares at him. "Same. The next time a customer asks how the lasagna is, I'm quoting you."

-o-

Kai cut up some cucumbers for the twins to eat since he knows that Mallory would get on his case when she learns that they just ate mac and cheese and potato chips. She's a dentist so she'll get on his case. Torin will probably be satisfied in the kids eating dinner and tiring them out so they'll go to sleep.

The twins probably ate one slice each before sitting there and not stopping Cinder when she takes some for herself. She sees her phone light up on the counter.

"Could one of you get that for me?" Cinder asks as she grabs Quinn's bowl of cucumber to finish first.

Both twins reach over and look.

Cinder peers over. "What is it?"

"Text from Jacin," Quinn responds.

"Ew." Cinder shudders. "What does it say?"

"Winter is in a comma," Skylar reads.

"What?" Cinder asks.

Quinn grabs Cinder's phone. "Not comma, dummy, there's only one M there."

Cinder spells it out in her head. C-O-M-A. She immediately chokes on a cucumber and almost drops the bowl. She almost considers dropping some change into the swear jar for what she's about to say, but she holds back her tongue.

"What?" Cinder asks, trying to keep calm.

"We don't know what a coma is," Skylar says.

"I think it's a really long nap like in fairytales," Quinn guesses.

"A coma is a long moment of being unconscious, so not awake," Kai explains. "Wait, who's in a coma?"

"Finish eating," Cinder says. Before she goes, she grabs a bottle of ranch from the fridge and drowns the remaining cucumber slices in dressing so there's not a vegetable in sight.

She takes her phone and unlocks it to see the texts. Jacin's the latest conversation with unread messages so she opens it since they were probably from him.

Jacin Kinda-Maybe-Hate-Him Clay: Winter is in a coma

Jacin Kinda-Maybe-Hate-Him Clay: *Sugar coma, my bad.

Cinder narrows her eyes because that wasn't an accident.

Cinder: I could've been driving.

Jacin Kinda-Maybe-Hate-Him Clay: Texting while driving is a different sin. You shouldn't even be looking at your phone.

Cinder: Screw your spades.

Cinder notices the twins looking over her shoulder and pointing at the swear jar.