[PRP] Under My Skin (Otto + Sasha)

[Bittiface]

Otto was still hard at work to improve himself into a man he could recognize as himself; or at least recreate himself into someone he felt was true to who he was becoming. He'd spoken with Gale, who helped him remember how he'd used to be seen when he first joined Deus.

He was still at a loss of who he was, who he'd become. It was a sort of identity crisis that arose after he'd cheated on Maebe with a one night stand, followed by a horrible blow out with her and Cami, and led to having a breakdown of his phsyche.

It was complicated, and it was dirty. There had been too many things that had happened to him in so short a time, that he'd lost much of himself to the chaos.

He wondered, as he walked down the halls of Deus, what he ought to do now. Maebe was talking through Twitter Dms, but as for their relationship? He'd destroyed her trust, and he'd made it clear to her and Cami that he needed space. Space for what? He didn't know. Did he not want the ties and bonds a relationship brought? Was he hoping to explore his newfound... urges, he supposed they were called.

He didn't know. Maebe said he was screwed up before he'd slept with a man, not after. But it had still been a bewildering and earth shattering revelation that he'd given into such a horrible and drunken urge.

Lost in thought, he paid no mind to whomever he bumped into.

pinchmonster

 

[bipolar bee]

Who he happened to bump into wasn't an accident.

It had been far too long since Sasha had connected with Otto, and it might have been a silly thought to have after such a long time but the huntress still considered him to be one of hers -- their time in the dungeon of the Coliseum would never be forgotten.

Never.

When she saw him walking through the halls, Sasha merely watched him for a time. When he drew closer, she put herself directly into his path. As they made contact, she let out a soft, breathy laugh - orchestrated perfectly to match the smile on her face and the surprised, "Otto!" that erupted from her lips.

She watched him carefully, almost predatorily.

Bittiface

 

[Bittiface]

"Woah.." Otto was broken from his thoughts. So much so it took him a decently long moment to process where he was. Or who was there.

"Oh." He finally seemed to have life in his eyes again, as he recognized the face in front of him. "Hey, Sasha. Been a while." He always regarded those he'd spent time in the Horsemen's dungeon as special. They got a certain something from him that others could not. It was a time in his life he couldn't easily dismiss.

"Sorry." He murmured belatedly for walking into her, even if he didn't realize she'd walked into his path on purpose.

pinchmonster

 

[bipolar bee]

Sasha let out a pleased noise as his attention focused on her. It felt like the last time she'd seen him he'd been a kid, but he'd filled out very nicely.

Very nicely, indeed.

"Something on your mind?" The words were softly spoken, a mere purr. "You seem distracted."

Bittiface

 

[Bittiface]

"Uh.. a few dozen things, I guess." He murmured back, giving a stiff nod. Sasha didn't make him uncomfortable, or even comfortable. She always seemed like she had complete control over herself and all around her. In that sense, things didn't seem too chaotic when he talked with her. He may not know what went on behind her eyes, but she did. And that was a welcome change. She wasn't a land mine.

"Been a weird year."

pinchmonster

 

[bipolar bee]

Sasha laced her arm through Otto's - he hadn't pulled away from her, which emboldened her.

"We should talk. Come to my room. I made cookies. We can catch up, relax. Listen to music, if you like. Sometimes it's nice just to shut the world out, hmm?"

She didn't mention that the cookies she'd made were half-burned and crispy. Her plan had been to give them to Evan as a gesture, but if they could be used to entice Otto to talk (even if they were disgusting), all the better.  

[Bittiface]

A nice woman who'd always done him right, even if he'd not been the kindest when they first knew each other before the kidnapping. Cookies. Music. God, music. Things that could always calm him down.

"Hmm.. sure. Sounds nice." He wasn't sure if he'd divulge all he'd gone through. But Sasha was an adult. More so than himself. He was twenty years old, but he always felt like he was still learning and failing like a teen. Sasha just seemed so collected. But she'd seen him during a bad time before. She'd understand. Maybe she could help.

Shutting away the world sounded nice for sure. The world held so few answers.

pinchmonster

 

[bipolar bee]

He'd always been a young man of few words the entire time she'd known him. It was both refreshing and intriguing.

Sasha patted Otto on the chest as she pulled away, her other arm still linked with his. It wouldn't take them long to arrive at her door, which Sasha opened immediately. The room was clean and vaguely imbued with the smell of burned baked goods. The hard, puck-like cookies sat on a plate which rested on the coffee table in front of a small leather loveseat. A sleek looking runic-powered radio sat on a shelf nearby - she'd spent a pretty penny on it, and it had been worth every hard-earned cent.

"Here." She ushered him in and closed the door behind them, briefly gesturing at the plate and couch. "Make yourself comfortable. I'm going to wash up and I'll be right out."

Bittiface

 

[Bittiface]

Led away into a room he wasn't familiar with. With a woman he was familiar with. Composed and suave; so much so it was easy to be led away like a leaf on a gentle stream. He didn't really concentrate too hard on whether or not if it made him uncomfortable. The place was made to feel more at ease simply by one imperfect thing; the smell of burnt cookies. He almost laughed, hiding a smirk behind a hand as he detached from Sasha and made his way to the sofa.

"Kay." He replied simply once more. A man of few words indeed.

He stared incredulously at what she'd called cookies. He could ponder them all he wanted while she got washed up anyway.

pinchmonster

 

[bipolar bee]

Sasha shrugged out of her jacket and settled it across the foot of her bed before disappearing from sight - there was the brief sound of rushing water and rustling fabric, and when she reappeared she was dressed in violently-colored flannel lounge pants and an equally bright tank. Her hair was piled atop her head, and her feet were comfortably encased in grotesque frog-shaped slippers.

Because normal people dressed like this, and she was trying so hard to feel normal - in here, her sanctuary.

She moved towards the radio and fussed with it briefly, glancing over at Otto as she did so.

"I only have a few selections," Sasha said almost apologetically, taking a seat next to Otto once the tinny sounds of some sort of blues music filled the air. "Did you try a cookie?"

Bittiface

 

[Bittiface]

"See.. I was gunna.." He replied, actually finding Sasha's attire all the more comfortable to be around. A lot less intimidating, if he had been intimidated by her at all. Silly frog slippers really helped.

"But.." He knocked a cookie against a hard surface, letting the solid thud echo. "I like my teeth not chipped."

He gave her a side eye, "I mean.. I could lick it, I guess."

pinchmonster

 

[bipolar bee]

She was silent as she watched Otto tap a cookie against the tabletop. Her brows furrowed slightly.

"I have milk," Sasha offered as though that might solve the matter at hand, "to dip them in."

Like that would help. It probably wouldn't, but she rose to her feet again and shuffled into the microscopic kitchenette to pour Otto a glass of milk. It was almost as if she were determined to get him to eat a ******** cookie.

Setting the glass down on the table, she sat down next to Otto and watched him.

Closely.

"So."

Both brows lifted.

bittiface

 

[Bittiface]

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pinchmonster

Oh God. He hated milk. Despised it. Cookies did little to save it's reputation of being a nasty vile beverage. His mouth twisted as he stared at the glass of liquid Hell. Sasha was watching. Waiting. She wanted to know how he liked the cookie, and there was no escaping it.

He swallowed hard, and finally just took a bite of the cookie without the aid of milk.

The snapping sound could have been mistaken for breaking glass. Did she forget the damned things for an hour? They could be used as throwing stars if shaped right.

He gave Sasha a careful, pained glance as he slowly chewed the rock she called a cookie. He supposed it might have tasted great Once Upon A Time, had it been saved from it's fiery fate in time.

It took time to speak without his mouth being full of rock and dust.

"Interestin'.." He mumbled, wiping his mouth free of crumbs. "What flavour was it supposed to be?" He really hoped his default bluntness didn't put her off or make her cry. He just couldn't bring himself to pretend the cookie was anything but a sin against God.

 

[bipolar bee]

"They are called something strange. Sniggerdoodles or some such thing," she answered primly, giving Otto a rather beatific smile. "You may take some with you if you like," Sasha waved a slender hand before leaning back against the arm of the couch so she could rest her feet comfortably in Otto's lap - without permission, because he was one of hers and she could do as she liked.

"Now, tell me what has been on your mind, and I will see if I can help." She paused and wiggled her toes in her slippers. One of the frogs gave a low, electronic riiiiiiiibbtthhhh that wound down into something that nightmares were probably made of. It was obvious the batteries were running low. She'd actually broken the other slipper trying to figure out how to change the battery - it was obvious that throwing it against the wall in a fit of outright, childish rage was not the best method to employ.

bittiface

omfg you

 

[Bittiface]

Surely a normal Snigger whatever didn't taste so horrid. He had to wonder if she was joking about taking them home. They needed to be disposed of. Or used as paperweights.

He found himself leaning back a bit as she cosily laid her feet on his lap. Well, she was certainly snug as a bug wasn't she? He'd protest, were it not that he didn't care enough to complain. The horrendous croak her slippers made nearly killed him. He cupped his mouth, turning away so he could stifle a laugh.

He hid his mirth very poorly.

He collected himself enough to look at her again without laughing, biting his lip down to get himself back to some semblance of his usual sullen composure he was renowned for.

"It's a long, long story." He murmured. At least, it felt long.

pinchmonster