Welcome to Gaia! ::

She'd heard the voice. She knew who should be behind the door. But Maebe still creaked it open just an inch, to confirm that Otto was there, and alone. When she saw him for herself, she opened it just enough so that he saw her (tired, paranoid, agitated) face.

"Where was the very first place we ********?" She asked, no trace of emotion in her voice.

She was testing him.

Right answer. And such a good memory, too - it almost made her smile. She opened the door and let him inside, but refused to leave the door until he had entered so she could close and lock it herself.

"I remember." She muttered, reaching to smack hims on the a** she'd rug burned. "I was just making sure you were you, and not some clone person or robot golem or whatever the hell is the new flavor of ******** going on lately."

She immediately crumpled onto her bed, and buried the side of her head into her pillow. One arm reached out lazily for him to come to her. "How are you?" She knew exactly what he'd been up to lately.

She was on edge, and the exhaustion in her eyes showed it. But as soon as his arms slid around her body, and his hands were in her hair, the tension melted away and she melted against him, curves fitting exactly where they needed to be. He was the cure for what plagued her, and by the way he touched her, he had to know it.

"Well, that makes two of us." She purred, leaning in to press her lips against his without actually kissing them. "I haven't been able to function for days. You come down, lay your hands on me, and I feel like I could fall asleep in an instant."

Her lips tilted up, and he could feel it against his own. "But I won't."

Never in her entire life before Deus had anyone made more of an impact on her heart with so few words than he did. He wielded a heavy power against her, one she had no reason to fight. The feeling slid into her veins, powering her actions with more than just sarcasm and self-defense. She closed her eyes as his fingers made her shiver, and the words came spilling out in thoughtless whispers, as if it was only common sense to tell this boy everything, every little thing.

"I've been seeing things. I thought it was a clone at first like the ones that look like Taym, but this one is Lucky, and he turns into digital bullshit and then disappears, and sometimes he looks at me and it's wrong, it's all wrong, and I'm scared."

It felt so good to tell him everything. So easy, so simple. This was how she knew she had learned to love.

"Damn right it's a bigger issue. The bigger issue is that we have crazy psycho digital people on the loose. You know he was at that mission? The one with the zombies? He was there the whole time. Nobody blinks. Nobody says oh, hey, check it out. They think he's fine, he's normal, but he's - he's not - he's not normal he's - "

By now Maebe was shaking, and even Otto's warn embrace was starting to fail at keeping her calm. She quieted down enough to push all of the thoughts as quickly out of her mind as possible.

"You don't think I'm going crazy, do you? I mean this is Deus. Maybe I cracked." She lifted a hand and pressed it up to his cheek. Her fingers brushed against the skin, reminding herself of how he felt under her touch. He was real. Warm, loving, sassy, beautiful. He was real, and she was going crazy.

Without questioning it, Otto believed her. There was no ounce of sarcasm, no disbelief, no seconds worth of doubt. He believed her as easily as he took his next breath.

She'd never needed anyone as much as she needed him in that moment.

Her hands pressed against his back, simply clutching him like a floating device in the water. She didn't have to worry about going crazy, with him. Maybe he'd love her, even if she was crazy. Half of the island was cracked and they were all in relationships too. Why couldn't they be?

"I promise." She told him, sealing their fate. She buried her head against his neck, and kissed the skin there. She really was in danger of falling asleep from exhaustion and comfort combined. With a sleepy voice, she murmured against him. "How's Cami?"

"She's been trying. She can tell when I need some time alone, but I don't think leaving me alone is a good idea anymore. Every second I wait here I think, he's just going to show up."

Her head lifted a little, and then her eyes fluttered. "I can't sleep in his room anymore. I can't, not without someone.." Her fingers clutched his shirt. "I'm so damn sleepy. I want to lie here and just.. but not sleep yet.."

Her lips kept pressing soft, breathy kisses against his neck. It was clear she had the desire, but not the strength, to lose herself and her worries in him. All she was managing was delayed presses against his skin.

"Don't leave me alone."