𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐍𝐎 𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋 ᵇⁿʰᵃ

23.5 ┃ 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬

━ ⭒─⭑━

The sterile white walls of the waiting room did little to soothe your growing impatience. You tapped your foot rhythmically against the floor, scowling at the clock on the wall. Three hours. Three agonizing hours you'd been waiting.

A second later, the door creaked open, , and you whipped your head around, eyes landing on the familiar silhouette. "Oh, Xani," you muttered, rolling your eyes, "it's you."

A black girl slowly slinked into the room, her presence marked by the bright red oversized hoodie she wore, almost swallowing her small frame. Her matching silk bonnet was snugly fit on her head, protecting her curls. She carried a large tumbler in one hand and a laptop in the other. "Please... ____, not now," she sighed, walking over to sit at the same table.

You scowled, arms crossed tightly over your chest. "Forgive me for being a little upset that you're three hours late."

Xani waved you off dismissively as she flipped open her laptop. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Traffic, road construction, etc."

You scoffed at her. "And the audacity to not even create a plausible excuse is even worse."

Letting out a huge sigh, Xani threw her head back, letting out an annoyed groan. "Well, sorry, ____, not everyone is perfect and has everything figured out. Some of us are currently fighting demons."

You snorted, amusement battling with annoyance. "Demon? Do tell."

Xani pouted at your teasing tone before giving in, clearly wanting to rant. "Well, since you asked..." she mumbled, trailing off.

Taking a deep breath, the girl then stood up before slamming both hands on the table with a surprising amount of force. The sudden movement startled you, and you couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise. "I fucking HATE people!"

"Don't we all?"

Xani rolled her eyes at you. "Not in your 'people are less than bugs' mentality," she countered. "I mean, they're just... really fucking exhausting."

You leaned back in your chair. "Well," you drawled, resting your chin on your hands, "since I know you're about to tell me anyways, go ahead."

Xani's lips twitched into a reluctant grin. With a resigned sigh, she launched into a detailed explanation of her current social struggles. "To start!" she exclaimed, slamming her laptop shut with a dramatic flourish. "Bitches have been on my ass about this ugly-ass Makima!Reader book!"

"Careful with your words, I am here—"

"Like my ass can't even build off the character!" she cut you off, voice laced with frustration. "I remember in the beginning of the book, literally the blurb," she continued, her voice rising in pitch, "people were spamming me with the 'Makima isn't like that' comments! Like, helllooo? It's a reader? And said reader is currently in a body not her own OR is going through puberty—a very hormonal and unexpected phase in life!"

"I suppose they may just—"

"And DON'T get me started on the fucking 'oh, does Y/N have brown skin? Was this in the diclaimer?' and 'I'll imagine her as having Makima from CSM skin tone, tee-hee' ass comments," Xani ranted, her voice rising in pitch, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Like, bro, I don't describe the skin tone/nor features outside of a few instances, literally once every 10 chapters! And the only reason I do this is to make it more immersive/give a little nod to POC readers who might appreciate seeing themselves in these stories. The only consistent details I mention are the eye and hair color because, well, it's a Makima!Reader, and those features are kind of her signature look from 'Chainsaw Man.'"