Lover's perspective;
The next morning at breakfast, I noticed a few strange things. Number one; Poets was absent. Two; Folklore looked down. and three; I think they are related. Poets showed up halfway through breakfast and I noticed Folklore bite her lip and offer a hopeful smile, only to get glared at.
"Morning Poets, you slept in," 1989 remarked. This wasn't a particularly rude statement, not that I could tell at least, but Poets seemed to get pissed off by it.
"Yeah no shit," She scoffed. "Sorry for wanting sleep,"
"Um, sorry if I came across as rude, I was just making small talk," 1989 looked hurt, and I didn't blame her. Poets rolled her eyes and started eating- I couldn't let that slide.
"She was just trying to talk to you- what is up with you today?" I straightened up slightly and looked at her as she gave me an unamused look. "Don't give me that look. What happened?"
"Fucking nothing, leave me alone," She said, annoyed. I shrunk back slightly, shocked at what appeared to be a sudden change of heart from the normally polite yet slightly shy girl.
"Hey don't talk to my girlfriend like that," Rep pushed her chair back and stood up. I grabbed her hand and tried to pull her back down but she gave me a look that I had learnt said 'I love you but don't try and discourage me from doing this because it won't work'.
"What are you going to do about it, huh?" Poets also stood up and I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose between my fingers. I could see clearly where this was going, abd I didn't like it very much. From the look I shared with pretty much everyone around the table, I was in the same boat as everyone else.
"Rep you know how I feel about this," I whispered, tugging at her shirt from where I was still sitting down.
"Lover she was a bitch to you and she obviously doesn't feel bad," She hissed back, then straightening up again and staring Poets down. "I don't know what your problem is but nothing gives you the right to be a bitch to my girlfriend,"
"Well she was actually also rude to 198-"
"Shush that's not the point," She cut Folklore off. "What do you have to say, hmm Poets?"
"I don't have anything to say, because I'm allowed to say whatever the fuck I want," The two collectively walked over to stand face to face, seemingly completely forgetting that any of the rest of us existed. Rep was a good few centimetres taller than Poets, but Poets looked like she was going to get more angry. Which normally never happened when Rep was in the equation, but there's a first time for everything.
"You want this to get physical? Because you're making a mistake," Rep took a step closer so that the two were nearly nose to nose.
"I'd be making a mistake? That's cute," She scoffed, raising her eyebrows.
"Stop yapping," Rep sneered. "And maybe start proving that you're as good as you say you are."
Suddenly there was a fist in a face and another fist in a face and for once none of them were Rep's fists. More so Rep's face. She stumbled backwards, pressing a hand to her nose and wincing when it came away bloody. Poets was still stood stock-faced, not moving and still with a completely unreadable expression. I got up and rushed over to Rep, making sure she was okay, to which she nodded slightly.
And then she lunged forwards, scrambling towards Poets and trying to hit her. I grabbed her waist and tried to pull her back, but she continued flailing her fists blindly. She managed to administer a few punches, none of which made Poets appear hurt at all. Just as she looked like she was about to give up, Poets punched her once more and she slumped back into me. I sat on the floor with her mostly sitting on my lap, and made sure that she was, like, alive.
"Rep are you alright?"
"I'm fine," She mumbled, wincing.
"Let's get you some ice," I suggested, helping her stand up with one of her arms slung over my shoulder.
"No I don't need ice I'm fine, let me go punch the typewriter bitch," She muttered, with no real intention of going back to poets, but was still determined.
I sat her down on the couch, leaving quickly to go and get an ice pack and some tissues. I made sure her nose had stopped bleeding, and then grabbed the ice pack which I pressed gently against her eye.
"Are you okay Rep?"
"I'll be okay," She shrugged.
"No, I don't mean physically," I pressed her gently. I knew her ego would likely be bruised, and she would be upset underneath.
"I'm... I'll be alright. Just a little embarrassed. And my face hurts," She signed. "I've never lost a fight before,"
"THERE'S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING," Evermore called- evidently they could hear and were still listening to everything going on. I didn't blame them honestly.
"Not helpful Eve!" I called back, before turning back to Rep and talking softer than before. "Well it's a good thing to fail sometimes, so then when you succeed it makes you more happy?" I offered.
"I know, you're right, I just need a bit of time to get over it," She said. I felt bad for her, she sounded so dejected over simply losing a fight. Well, I reminded myself, for her it wasn't a fight, it was her doing it for me. I sound incredibly stuck up, but I knew that that was the reason.
"Reppy... you know I don't care, right? You don't have to prove that you can like, protect me or something," I said softly.
"I just hat watching you being sad, and she was so mean to you, and then she was mean to me, and then I needed to prove that I'm not weak, and-"
"There it is. You're not weak baby, I promise nobody thinks any less of you for not winning- in fact, What I can promise is that we're all pretty pissed at Poets right now," I chuckled gently, and Rep cracked a tentative smile, to which I hugged her, feeling her rest her head on my shoulder and let out a breath.
A/N; FINALLYYYY THERE YOU GO 🥳 ended abruptly but it's better than nothing.