―when you first met as children, you and scaramouche never got along. the only reason you spent any time with him was because of your mutual friends, yet as time went on, you grew to understand each other a bit more. you became close in your own way...
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―𝘙𝘌𝘋𝘈𝘔𝘈𝘕𝘊𝘠, 𝘈𝘊𝘛 𝘐 𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘗𝘛𝘌𝘙 𝘐𝘐
your eyes drifted across the entire building in awe. all the machines' screens were lit up with vibrant colors, and the carpet was covered in colorful squiggly lines that you subconsciously hid with your foot each time you took a step forward. the ceiling hung high above your head and you curled your hands into your pockets, feeling jittery with excitement. you could practically feel your veins pulsing while you trailed behind the group.
you could hear a faint cha-ching sound effect from a nearby game, along with whimsical music from some of the others. the rest of the group didn't seem too interested in any of that, though. they were going straight to the machine to get coins. it seemed like this was routine for them, and your chest tightened with discomfort at the thought that you were joining them here when they'd done this a million times with just the three of them in the past. it almost felt intrusive..
"hey, why do you get so many coins?!" ajax huffed, his hands cupped together to hold all the coins he'd gotten.
"because it's my money," rosalyne scoffed as more coins flooded into the small cup on the machine. she put one final bill into the slot to exchange it for coins as well, and she took the rest, pouring them into a small, velvety pouch. "and i'm going to share with y/n."
she nodded in your direction and you breathed in sharply, not expecting that. you sputtered for a moment before managing to choke out a 'thank you'.
"i still don't see why we had to invite her," kunikuzushi grumbled, still not too fond of your presence. he had a frustrated pout on his face while he crossed his arms as if to further prove his point.
ajax rolled his eyes and smacked the back of kunikuzushi's head, "'cause she's part of the group now, kuni! you've just gotta get used to it."
"yeah, right!" kunikuzushi retorted sarcastically, shooting a glare straight through ajax's head. "you're the only one that wants her here, we were fine before!"
kunikuzushi was obviously bitter, and you took a step back, deflating as the argument progressed. you wanted to speak up and defend yourself, but your tongue went flat in your mouth and you just watched everything transpire. your eyes darted back and forth between the two boys.
"c'mon, kuni, don't be a buzzkill," ajax said. "rosa wants her here too, you're just being a baby about it!"
rosalyne's grip tightened on her coin pouch, and her brow twitched in annoyance, "don't call me that. can you two just stop already?"
"a baby!? i'm not being a baby, i'm just saying, we were better off without her!" kunikuzushi raised his voice slightly, beginning to catch the attention of some other kids nearby, and you tapped your foot anxiously.
"guys, stop!" rosalyne groaned, and to your relief, the boys finally stopped.
your heart squeezed with guilt, since your presence had created tension in the group whenever you spent time with them. you didn't want to ruin their bond, you were just glad to finally have friends.. but maybe it wasn't worth the animosity from kunikuzushi.
