LU 144 - Space 29

I woke up and found myself lying next to Vice in his bed. Oh yeah, I crawled in here last night because I was messing with Hallthorr. What I didn't expect was Vice having his arms wrapped around mine, which threw me off guard; it's probably because he assumed I was Frezz. Sure enough, he woke up and called me Frezz. But when he realized it was me, he started to freak out and yell at me.

I calmed him down and told him that I was just here to make sure he was ok after passing out last night. He calmed down and resumed our conversation about my age. I explained how my age was simply a touchy subject for me, like Vice with his dad. He paused, and agreed that he understood why I lied.

He asked why I talk to myself, and I wrote it off as me being used to being alone with my thoughts. He also asked if he was just my friend to fill the silence, and I explained that he was in fact more than just that to me. He seemed comforted by that, and went on to explain what happened to him yesterday. Apparently, he save Hallthorr from Morphious (which was odd but I showeed my concern), and arrested Shroom with Mira.

I was a bit confused, but congratulated him on doing that. I must've struck a heart string, because he started to smile and thanked me for the compliment while stuttering a couple times. Then, when he suggested we get up, I complained about being comfy. Instead of fighting me about it, he said that we could stay here a bit longer, I could tell something was happening in that head of his, so I played along. He thanked me for being his talking buddy and I said that I'd always be there to talk with. I also made sure to check that we were chill, which we were according to him, thank god.

Before falling asleep, he grabbed onto my waist. I had my theories on what was going on, but one thing was apparent: I think this kid has a crush on me. But, I didn't do anything about it. In fact, I'm pretty sure I made it worse. I fell asleep, hoping that Frezz didn't come home to this scene.

NEXT MORNING

I woke up feeling drowsy and a bit confused. I turned over and Vice was still wrapped around me. He woke up, greeting me warmly. We talked a bit about last night and whatnot, but it seemed that Vice was flustered during our entire conversation. I brought up the tree meeting that was gonna happen soon, and Vice agreed to show up.

I eventually got out of the bed at last, and Vice wished me well on my journey back. I asked if he would swing by the office, and he said he'd try to; fine by me I suppose. On my way out, I saw Hallthorr sleeping like a baby, completely unaware of what just happened. I got out quietly and went home with a lot of thoughts floating around in my head.

Did Vice really... like me like that? What the hell am I gonna do about Frezz if that's the case? What prompted this crush? I guess this started after I praised Vice for getting ahold of Shroom, so maybe he's got a thing for getting praised; *interesting*.

I got back to the office, took a shower after fixing my suit, and got it cleaned by that Jorge guy. Turns out he works at the laundry place, which was a little awkward. After getting myself put together, I sat down in my chair and resumed my paperwork. I guess I don't need to go down the manipulation road with Vice anymore, because he just formed a crush on me that I can take advantage of; so much easier in my opinion.

I gotta say though, the fact that Vice managed to pull a couple *my* heart strings was... jarring to say the least.