>You are anon.
>You live with the Dazzlings.
>It's around eight o'clock.
>You are preparing the table for dinner along with Adagio.
>Tonight's delight is roasted chicken with oven potatoes and yogurt.
>You go back and forth leaving plates, knives, forks, paper towels and tall glasses of water on the table.
>You move fast.
>You are used to the whole process by now but you still hate making an event out of every lunch and dinner.
>Back when you were alone you'd just make yourself a sandwich and eat it whenever you were hungry.
>No cooking for hours and then setting up the table like you expect the keiser to visit.
>Anything that takes less time to eat than to prepare is not worth bothering with.
>You nod to yourself.
>Hear, hear.
>"Watch it, you hurricane!"
>You stop a few centimeters short of bumping into Adagio.
>She is carrying the glass tray with the chicken and tatters towards the table.
>You take a moment to drink in the sight of Adagio the Housewife.
>She is wearing an apron with two cuddly cartoony kittens over her t-shirt.
>A pair of oven mitts protect her hands from the tray's heat.
>Your staring makes her feel uncomfortable.
>You usually stare at the Dazzlings when you are horny.
>Which is most of the time.
>"What is it, Anonymous?"
>You smirk.
"Nothing, nothing. I was just captivated by the way you rock the look."
>Adagio straightens her back and smiles smugly.
>"I make anything I wear look good..."
"Can I kiss the cook?"
>Adagio frowns and gives you an "are you serious?" look.
>You move your eyebrows up and down a few times.
>Adagio bumps you aside as she passes by you, refusing to dignify you with an answer.
>You look around the room.
>Sonata is sitting in front of the TV.
>The volume is higher than you like, but the show is fun so you don't mind much. 

>"Imagine if you had no asshole. Vere vould your poo-poos go? They vould back up; first into your low intestine. Zen ze small intestine, ze colons und stomach, EXPANDING UND EXPANDING!...until *POP!* ARGH! You're in a vorld of shit!"
>You chuckle.
>Adagio frowns.
>"Sonata, just because it's a cartoon it doesn't mean it's for kids. Change the channel."
"Yeah Sonata, put it on HBO. Game of Thrones might be on."
>Adagio narrows her eyes at you.
>She likes Game of Thrones.
>Must be because of all the scheming.
>But she doesn't like it when Sonata watches it.
>Again, must be because of all the scheming.
>You raise your arms in mock surrender.
>Adagio turns away.
>"Make yourself useful and fetch Aria. Sonata, come here. The table is ready."
>"Yay, time for food!"
>You exit the dining room.
>You head for Aria's room.
>You pass Adagio's room on your way.
>Sonata had this silly idea to have your names written on your room doors.
>Adagio was, of course, above such childishness.
>Sonata wrote her name in a piece of paper with crayons, glitter and stickers and taped it on her door.
>Aria wanted to write "Here be dragon" on hers but abandoned the idea as soon as you said "Here be dragon dildos" out loud.
>You thought the idea was stupid but Sonata kept bugging you.
>You eventually hung a sign over your door to spite Sonata and the others rather than please them.
>The sign read "Abandon all hope ye who enter here."
>It was sadly only too appropriate.
>Anyway, you're standing in front of Aria's room.
>You knock with one hand as you turn the knob with the other.
>You peek your head in without waiting for an answer, like most of the human population does.
"Hey Aria, dinner's serv-Woah!"

>Aria is lying on the bed, wearing nothing but socks, panties and a vest.
>An open vest!
>Time seems to stand still.
>Your eyes open as wide as possible in order to let as much goodness as possible into your mind.
>Her panties cling tightly around her well-defined asscheeks...
>Her skin has no blemishes.
>And those feet, hugged on all sides by her white socks...
>Hnnnng, fffffoot fetish.
>Various cultures in times past and present dictate that women should go about bare breasted in order to show their bodies have come of age and are fertile.
>Aria's unrestrained breasts communicate their message to you and your insticts loud and clear.
>Her nipples are hard and erect...
>You swallow hard and move your tongue around inside your mouth.
>"What the fuck, you asshole?!"
>You are snapped back to reality.
>"Close the fucking door!"
>Your stupified brain mistakes her words for an invitation.
>You enter and close the door behind you.
>Aria sits up on her bed.
>She grabs the book she was reading and throws it at you.
>The book's pages slap together as it flies at you.
>You cover your face with your hands.
>You turn sideways and raise your leg to cover your junk.
>The book slams on the door right next to you and falls on the floor.
>"Get the fuck OUT!"
>Aria covers her tits with one arm while she reaches for her bedside lamp with the other.
>Oh shit.
>You open the door and get out as fast as you can.
>You go to the bathroom to wash and cool your blushing face.
>Adagio calls out to you.
>"Are you coming or what? We'll start without you."
>"I've started already!" says Sonata.
>"Don't talk with your mouth full, Sonata."

>A few minutes later.
>You are sitting at the table with the Dazzlings.
>Adagio is cutting the meat and filling the plates.
>You are sitting opposite of Aria.
>She used to sit opposite of Sonata but they kept kicking eachother.
>This is rather awkward for you but you are too embarrassed to ask Adagio to switch places.
>You try to not look at Aria.
>You sneak a few glances though.
>She is blushing and staring angrily at you.
>She is biting her lips.
>"Anon!"
"W-wha?"
>Adagio is staring at you.
>"I said; do you want breast or thigh?"
>Breast or thigh?!
>Your short-circuited brain connects the question to what happened earlier.
"I...I..."
>You are dumbfounded.
>You look around helplessly as if looking for a way out.
>Your gaze falls on Aria.
>She looks at you for a moment in annoyed confusion.
>Then her eyes widen in horrified realization.
>She turns her head and looks down.
>She is completely flustered.
>"Fine, if you're not going to reply today, you won't eat any chicken today. You only get potatoes."
>Huh, what?
>What do potatoes have to do with any-?
>Oooooh, now you get it.
"But-"
>"No buts!" says Adagio as she brings the tray closer to Sonata.
>Sonata giggles.
>"Here you go, Sonata."
>You protest loudly with your mouth and your belly but Adagio will have none of it.
>You watch as Adagio piles a bunch of chicken thigh meat with the skin still on on Sonata's plate.
>The skin!
>The skin is the best part.
>Your stomach laments for the loss.
>Sonata does a delighted little hand clap.
>"You know Adagio, I've heard industrial chickens are full of growth hormones that make tits grow!"
>Oh dear, Sonata just kicked a wasp nest.
>Aria turns to see what's gonna happen.
>Adagio grinds her teeth quite audibly.
>She bangs the tray on the table, spilling some food juice.
>You need to think of something fast!

"Well up yours, Sonata. I don't need Adagio to make sure I won't need a bra in the future. Gimme that chicken, Adagio."
>Adagio just stands there disoriented for a few seconds.
>"Fine, you can have some chicken but only because I'm kind and forgiving" she eventually tells you.
>Adagio takes all the chicken off Sonata's plate and puts it back on the tray.
>"Hey, why do you take mine?" protests Sonata.
>"Because I'm kind and forgiving" replies Adagio through her teeth.
>Aria smirks at a pouting Sonata.
>Finally Adagio finishes and sits down.
>You all start to eat.
>You notice Adagio is having a salad with only a bit of chicken and yogurt on the side.
"Who killed your dinner?"
>Adagio stops just before she puts a spoonful of lettuce in her open mouth.
>"I'm sorry?"
"Why do you eat salad?"
>You say the word "salad" with distaste.
>Plants are for dumb animals like goats and cows and hippies.
>"Well, I watch my waistline now so I won't have to watch it later."
"I'll watch it for you-OOF!"
>Adagio hits you in the belly.
"Don't do that ever again, dammit!"
>Adagio smiles to herself.
>"You could do away with that belly."
"Bugger off Adagio, there's barely enough of me to go around as it is."
>You sure wish the girls would pass you around.
>The rest of the dinner passes uneventfully with only a hint of small talk.
>........
>It's bedtime.
>Way past, actually.
>You look at your cellphone.
>2:37.
>You sigh.
>You can't sleep.
>One of the survival traits of land animals in general is that they are jumpy at night.
>They worry more and therefore they are more likely to escape a nocturnal predator.
>That's why it's scarier to go to the bathroom at night.
>Our subconscious is more active at night.
>But humans are complicated animals and as such they have complicated fears.
>You just lie there under the covers with your hands under your head, thinking about your life.

>Your financial future, the dream job that you only see in your dreams, your desire to be well liked, your loneliness...
>You sigh.
>You stare at the ceiling.
>Every now and then a car passes, casting it's fleeting lights upon the ceiling as it races into the night.
>You don't know how much time passes like this before your room's door opens.
>It's Aria.
>She is wearing a simple, short nightgown.
>The light behind her penetrates it as she stands there and outlines the naked silhouette underneath.
>Aria enters your room and closes the door behind her.
>She doesn't quite have the air of owning the place like Adagio does but she tries.
>"Anon, I know you're awake. I saw your eyes gleam."
>You open your mouth to let out a witty one-liner.
"What's up, Aria?"
>You rolled an ace.
>"I'm cold."
>That's an understatement.
>You smile wide enough to fit a small plate in your mouth.
>"I-errr-I mean it's cold in my room. The radiator broke down."
"Did you give it a look? What's wrong with it?"
>"How should I know? I'm not a man!"
"Come again?"
>"It's a man's job to fix things around the house. You're a man..."
>"...aren't you?" she adds.
"WHY DON'T YOU GET YOUR ASS HERE AND FIND OUT!"
>There's a moment of silence broken only by your deep breathing.
>You snapped before you knew it.
>Your heart is racing.
>You can see Aria has jumped back a few steps.
>You lie back down, turn your back to her and take a deep breath.
"Go back to bed, Aria. I promise I'll take a look at it tomorrow" you say in a much calmer, if not defeated, tone of voice.
>There's more silence.
>"...No. You know what? I'm not going back in the freezer! It's your fault. I'm sleeping here tonight."
>Yeah well, whatever. She can have the floor.
>Aria walks up to your bed and sits on it.
>"Scoot over. Gimme room."
>You groan but move aside for the Grump Rump anyway.
>She rocks the whole bed trying to get comfortable.

>She stops her struggling after a few seconds.
>She has her back turned to you.
>"Gee anon, if I wanted to freeze, I'd stay in my room."
"What now, Aria?"
>"You're hogging all the covers!"
"No I'm not. See?"
>You spread the covers over Aria with your arm.
>You don't take your arm off her shoulder though.
>Skin contact is...nice, you know?
>Cuddling is good for your depression.
>Actually it's good for you, and bad for your depression.
>A few seconds pass like this.
>Aria is holding her breath.
>She is tense and blushing, though you can't see it.
>She is constantly in some kind of competition or another.
>Even though they aren't terribly fond of eachother, the Dazzlings are always together.
>They are mistrustful of outsiders and you can't blame them.
>Even you haven't been fully accepted into their little circle.
>As a result, Aria has to constantly compete with Adagio for independence and Sonata for attention.
>But right now, there is no Adagio or Sonata to compete with.
>She has the undivided attention of a man she's come to not be weary of.
>And to make matters more tense, he is showing her a bit of affection!
>This is new territory for Aria.
>She doesn't know how to feel and react to this new situation and that stresses her.
>"...G-Gee, are you really this desperate to cop a feel?"
"Wh-What?"
>"You are a disgusting pervert, anon. Walking into my room like this to catch me naked."
>It wasn't like this!
"...I-I-I-You see, Ad-"
>"Can't blame you though. I'm sexier than Adagio and Sonata. Boys can't help but lust after me. I don't need a poof or to play dumb to be liked. People like me as I am."
>You know this to be untrue.
>No Dazzling has any private life the others don't know about.
>No private contacts.
>If one does something, another will tattle out loud about it.
>And seeing how other people are reluctant to approach them anyway, it's pretty clear Aria is lying.
>But who is she lying to?

>Is she trying to make a good impression to the only person she's befriended?
>Is she trying to hide from herself?
>In any case, you feel bad for her.
>Aria has more personality than she allows others to see.
>She likes a good story.
>She has a sweet tooth.
>She likes to make origami and paper planes.
>She hums to herself when she's alone...Thinks she is, anyway...
>And she is lonely.
>So very lonely.
>You shove your other hand under her and pull her close to you.
>"!!!"
>You spoon her.
>"What the fuck are you doing?!"
"I'm trying to keep you warm and comfy."
>"I'm not a teddybear, you pervert! Y-You are a teddybear!"
>Aria squirms and turns in your embrace.
>She is now facing you.
>She hugs you tightly.
>"See? You're the teddybear now. You're big and hairy already."
"I like this" you tell her with an honest smile.
>Aria is flustered.
>"Oh, yeah?"
>She grabs a chunk of your fleshy asscheek.
>She twists and squeezes it in an effort to make you squeal.
>It hurts so good.
>You tighten your embrace around her.
"You're right, Aria. You are prettier than Adagio and Sonata, and I do like you as you are."
>To your surprise, Aria is riled up by your words.
>"You're just saying that. I've seen how you act around Sonata and Adagio. You are always kind to Sonata, laughing and praising her!"
"That's because..."

>It's true, you are being nice to Sonata.
>Everyone is.
>Sonata is like a child.
>You scolded her once.
>Or as Adagio put it, you tried to "shout her out of existence".
>It took days for Sonata to warm up to you again.
>You decided to try positive reinforcement from that point on.
"...remember Master Blaster?"
>"Who?"
"Master Blaster. You know, from Mad Max 3?"
>"...What Ma- Oooh, you mean Beyond Thunderdome."
"Yeah, that's the one. Well, Sonata is like Blaster. She has the mind of a child."
>Aria considers you answer.
>"Whatever. You just wanna fuck. Me, Adagio, it doesn't matter to you."
>That's true actually, but there's a world of difference between fucking and loving.
>"I'll watch it for you" says Aria in a mocking, deep voice.
"Oh, that? I was just teasing. It's fun watching Adagio squirm."
>"...Yeah, I guess it is."
>Purple Rump is green with envy.
>You gently push Aria's chin up with your index finger.
"I never tease you because I want things to be serious between us."
>"What?"
"I said, are you gonna be my girl?"
>Aria smiles and tears up.
>She plants her face on your chest and starts weeping.
>"B-baka. Don't you know it's a sin to make a woman cry?"
>You rub her back and kiss her head.
>"Haven't you kissed a girl before?"
>You smile and raise an eyebrow.
"Why don't you get your ass here and find out?"