.

.

.

You

"Scaramouche, no!"

Scaramouche screamed in a high-pitched voice, a scream that you thought you would never hear from him. You almost laughed.

Scaramouche

"Put it away! Ew! Yuck! It's going to bite you!"

You

"No! He doesn't bite!"

Scaramouche

"What the fuck do you mean?! All snakes bite!"

You

"He's my pet snake! Leave him alone!"

Scaramouche was going to drag you down with the snake, looking like he was preparing to start a boxing contest with you, and you laughed. He remained in the same position, confusedly looking at the snake that slithered gently around your neck.

Scaramouche

"Your... Your pet snake?"

You

"Mhm... Aww, you missed me a bunch, didn't you?"

You spoke in a childlike tone, adoring your pet snake that you loved so dearly.

okay i see you fucking baizhu wanna-be /j 

Scaramouche

"What the fuck... Who keeps a snake as a pet?"

You

"Me! I do!"

You said, smiling.

Scaramouche

"Wait so... He's not venomous, right?"

You

"Oh no, he is."

Scaramouche

"What?! Who keeps a venomous snake as a pet?"

You

"But don't worry, as long as he knows the people I trust, he will hesitate to attack."

"Look! This is Scaramouche. He's a fucking pain in the ass, and he's a puppet, so you can bite him any time you want. He won't get poisoned anyway."

Your pet snake hissed with joy.

Scaramouche

"No! Don't say that!"

You

"I think it would be funny to see you getting chased by my pet snake."

Scaramouche

"Hmph! I think not!"

You

"Heehee, I'm just kidding. Don't bite him, okay?"

Your snake then seemed enraged.

.

.

.

Scaramouche

"This is... Your home?"

You

"Yes! I build it myself. Nobody in Inazuma knows it exists. Not even Raiden. She thinks that my real home is hers."

You welcomed him into your house while caressing your pet snake. You were looking about the home to make sure nothing unpleasant had happened while you were gone.

You

"Whew, it's a good thing that I cleaned the place before Dottore hit me in the head... I'd be pretty pissed off if I came home to a disgusting house."

Scaramouche

"Your home..."

You

"... Hm?"

Scaramouche

"Ah- Nothing."

You

"... Oh look! Over here!"

You escorted him inside one of the rooms.

You

"This is where you can stay."

Scaramouche

"Woah, wait- I'm allowed to stay with you? I can live in your home?"

You

"Yeah!... Unless you already have one and you prefer that one better. Why else did you think I brought you here? I escaped with you with the intention of letting you stay with me of course."

Scaramouche

"I can... Live with you?"

You

"Yes. Treat my home like it's your own."

Scaramouche

"Like it's... My own home... This is the 'somewhere' you were talking about?"

You

"Precisely. So, how do you like it? It's my surprise."

Scaramouche

"... Can I uhm..."

You

"Hm?"

Scaramouche

"... Can I... Move my bed to your room?"

You

"Wha... To my room?"

Scaramouche

"I want to sleep with you."

You

"... 😨"

Scaramouche

"Wait- Wait! No! I didn't mean it like that, I swear!"

You

"Haha! You? Sleep with me? What a joke!"

He was terribly embarrassed and insulted.

Scaramouche

"No- I meant I wanted to... I don't want to sleep alone, is what I'm saying."

You

"You don't want to sleep alone?..."

Scaramouche

I've gotten attached. "I'm not saying that I want to sleep next to you like... In your own bed, I'm just saying that it would uhm... It would be better!... If I accompanied you as you slept. Y'know, just to make sure that... Dottore won't come back for you."

You

"Dottore's dead though. Plus, nobody will ever find this place."

Scaramouche

"You never know... Don't underestimate that stupid doctor."

You

"... Fine then. I can set up an inflatable mattress beside my bed because you insist."

Scaramouche

"Hey- Don't get the assumption that I want to. I'm just... Making sure you're... Safe."

Scaramouche continued to speak, with uncomfortable, awkward gaps in between his words.

You

"Yeah, you want to sleep beside me. That's cute."

Scaramouche

"Cute?! Ugh! Disgusting!"

You

"Hehe, it's adorable, really!"

Scaramouche

"No!"

.

.

.

-A WEEK LATER, THE ISOLATED ISLAND-

Scaramouche

"Stealing?..."

You

"Mhm. It's the only way to survive."

Scaramouche

"Listen, I'm down to cause some trouble in Inazuma City to make my mom pissed, but the last time I checked, the fridge was filled with food."

You

"All gone bad."

You removed a brown paper bag and placed it on the table. It was so heavy that it tipped over, spilling a ton of spoiled food.

Scaramouche

"Oh, ugh..."

You

"Mhm. So, I say, starting tomorrow, we take out the boat that we totally didn't steal, and we pay Raiden and her citizens a small visit. I prefer to let chaos break, it makes it more fun. Staying undercover and all that is boring."

Scaramouche

"Ooh, a criminal, are we now?"

You

"Only because you're a criminal."

Scaramouche

"Wait, wait- Are you telling me I'm a bad influence?!"

You

"No!... Yes."

Scaramouche

"How dare you!... I'll take it as a compliment."

You

"So... I plan to be with you. For the rest of my remaining time, unless you want to go."

You were trying to say this without making it all mushy.

You

"And if I plan to stay with a criminal then... It only makes sense for me to become one myself, right?"

Scaramouche

"Wow..."

You

"Yeah..."

Scaramouche

"You actually sound so stupid right now."

You

"Says the one who says he wanted to sleep with me."

Scaramouche

"Quiet! You're taking it the wrong way!"

You

"Am not!"

.

.

.

You were staring down at Scaramouche from your bed, which was just slightly taller than his inflatable bed. He had his eyes focused on the ceiling.

You

"Are you scared?"

He was surprised by your sudden words and jolted a little in bed. With the blanket covering his upper torso, he shifted his attention away from the wall and turned to face you.

Scaramouche

"Huh? Why would I be scared?"

You

"When was the last time you saw Ei?"

Scaramouche

"... Why did the topic change to this?"

You

"You just look so worried, I can't help but ask. Ever since I started talking about our plans for tomorrow, you just seem so... Off."

Scaramouche

"I seem off?..."

You

"You always slept when you were holding me captive, remember? I'd have to smack your head through handcuffs to keep you awake. And now, you can't get a blink of sleep. Something's bothering you."

Scaramouche

"... The last time I saw Ei was maybe when she abandoned me. I still remember that day so clearly, although it was hundreds of years ago. I wish I could just forget her face."

"I remember seeing her girlfriend or something when I got her gnosis."

You

"Ei told me about that. I still find it crazy how you have it."

Scaramouche

"Well- I did, but Dottore took it away from me when he found out I was in possession of it."

idk if that really happened but let's just say it did 👍

You

"Man... Dottore's such an asshole. I remember Ei telling me about how it would make you feel 'complete' or something."