PSYCHO I Velvet and Veneer x Reader I Vampire au

Chapter 22

3am post! Definitely not going insane rn. Here's another long chapter up to 4.3k words to feed ya'll :)

❀❁❀•••• Location: Ritz's House ••••❀❁❀

⌜ ⌝ ılı.lıllılı.ıllı. ᴺᵒʷ ᵖˡᵃʸᶦⁿᵍ; [ Bad Romance by Lady Gaga] 1:07 ——◦———— -5:09 ↠ⁿᵉˣᵗ ˢᵒⁿᵍ ↺ ʳᵉᵖᵉᵃᵗ ⊜ ᵖᵃᵘˢᵉ ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ : ▮▮▮▮▮▮▯▯▯⌞ ⌟

Rah, rah-ah-ah-ah Roma, roma-ma Gaga, ooh-la-la Want your bad romance

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Returning home after a big night out was exhausting, more so than usual. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that you couldn't get a wink of sleep after that last encounter with Kai. Why did you have to fall asleep in his arms? You felt embarrassed just thinking about it, your cheeks growing warm as you replayed the moment in your head.

But there was no time to dwell on it. Work called, and as much as you wanted to stay curled up under the covers, the day wasn't going to wait for you. Plus, you had to check on Ritz. Staying at his place had been convenient for now, but you couldn't stay indefinitely. You needed to find your own place soon—or at least somewhere safer. The thought of leaving Mount Rageous had crossed your mind more than once. Would it be so bad to get away from Ash and all the drama surrounding him? But then, there were the twins. And Kai. And Ritz. Leaving them behind didn't feel right, even if staying here was dangerous.

You shook the thoughts away, deciding it was best to focus on the present, you headed to Ritz's door, knocking lightly. "Ritz!" you called out, "Are you awake? I made some breakfast."

The door opened quickly, revealing Ritz who stood there, looking like he hadn't slept in days. His eyes were bloodshot, and dark circles hung heavy under them.

"Ritz, did you get any sleep last night? You look... exhausted," you said, concern creeping into your voice.

"I know," he muttered, rubbing at his eyes like it would somehow wipe away the exhaustion. "I haven't really been able to sleep properly this week, but I'm good, don't worry."

"You know that's not healthy, right? You need to rest, Ritz."

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he insisted, brushing it off with a tired smile. He stepped aside, motioning you to come in. "Come on in. I got something to show ya."

You hesitated for a second before following him into his room. You'd never actually been inside Ritz's room before, and the first thing that struck you was how different it was from what you expected.

His space was surprisingly organized for someone as laid-back as him. The bed, though unmade, was neatly tucked into the corner. The walls were covered in posters of various bands, artists, and movies, giving the room a vibrant, chaotic feel that fit Ritz's personality perfectly. Instruments—some guitars, an old keyboard—were scattered across the room, along with notebooks piled on a desk in the corner.

"Never been in your room before," you commented, glancing around at the personal chaos. "It's... nice. Very you."

"It's home." he responded, "There's also  been something I wanted to give you..."

"Ritz," you started, watching him sift through the pile of notebooks on his desk. "Are you sure you're okay? You've just seemed... different lately."

"Me? Different? Nah, I'm just the same guy you've always known. Maybe a little more sleep-deprived, but you know I can handle it."

What was going on with him? You'd noticed his behavior had been off lately, and not just the lack of sleep. He seemed... distant. Or maybe the right word was distracted.