#so…if u are a naturally happy/contempt person and they are dragging u down

[sanjisblackasswife]

idk if this is a hot take??

but i think it’s important to realize it’s ok to get rid of friends (or even family) that mentally drain you.

not worth the hassle

[stormwithskiiin-a]

lays real comf............................. let me tell u abt larxene and Psychopathy

Psychopathy - a mental disorder in which an individual manifests amoral and antisocial behavior, lack of ability to love or establish meaningful personal relationships, extreme egocentricity, failure to learn from experience, etc. Sadism - the tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others.

In order for an individual to be diagnosed with psychopathy, they must earn a score of thirty or above on the PCL-R checklist. There are twenty symptoms on the list and any given requisite can be valued at a maximum mark of two. The list is as follows:

1. Glib and superficial charm  -  Superficial charm (or insincere charm or glib charm) is the tendency to be smooth, engaging, charming, slick and verbally facile. In her first encounter with Sora, Larxene starts off sweet (a little sickly sweet), even helpful. It is rather short lived, and her cruel nature is revealed to Sora and CO. She can also be seen being overly kind to Axel throughout all of their interactions with Axel throughout COM, but we know it was mainly an attempt to get him on her side. There is even a scene where she is engaging with a conversation with Namine in which most of it she was rude and cold. However, as the scene ends, we can see Larxene trying to sweeten the deal for her by explaining how she doesn’t have to just be “Kairi’s shadow”. Larxene doesn’t care about Namine’s insecurities and doubts in regards to Kairi and her place in Sora’s heart, she just wanted to get her to stop dragging her feet by giving her an incentive. Rating: 2/2

2. Grandiose (exaggeratedly high) estimation of self - refers to an unrealistic sense of superiority, a sustained view of oneself as better than others that causes those affected to view others with disdain or as inferior, as well as to a sense of uniqueness: the belief that few others have anything in common with oneself. Larxene very much has a superiority complex. She thinks she is above everyone and takes great pleasure in insulting and degrading other people to prove just how above them she is. She doesn’t take kindly to being talked down to and how angry it makes her can easily be seen in any interaction she has with Vexen. And when Vexen’s replica shows a single sign in failing, Larxene is very quick to wave it over his head to remind him how low he actually is. She also talks down to Sora every interaction they have and is awfully confident that she can beat him in COM, not even showing any reserves about going 1v3 against Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Larxene was notably quick to remind Repliku that he is ‘a stupid little toy’ when he tries to resist having his memories tampered with. In KHIII, Larxene finds it hilarious that Demyx had been replaced by a replica and tells him that he is “dumb as a brick”. Rating: 2/2

3. Need for stimulation -  They (psychopaths) require intense stimulation in order to feel anything, to become excited, or to have fun. Psychopathic boredom is described as a continual restless and dysphoric feeling, acted out through aggressive and hypomanic activity. They experience boredom as a sense of restlessness and emptiness that is ever-present. Right after being introduced to the other Nobodies, Larxene immediately approaches the first person she doesn’t deem as a “rough old man” and tries initiating a conversation with him. She also commentates how quiet the castle is and that it seems dull. She quickly moves onto the next person and complains that they aren’t doing anything and states she is bored. When waiting in the COM manga, Larxene can be seen reading instead of remaining idle like the rest of the members of the castle. Rating: 2/2

4. Pathological lying -  (also called pseudologia fantastica and mythomania) is a behavior of habitual or compulsive lying. It is when an individual consistently lies for no personal gain. Some lies seem to be told in order to make the pathological liar appear the hero, or to gain acceptance or sympathy . Really we don’t know how much Larxene lies over meaningless things like a pathological liar does, but we can clearly see her lying to Sora in COM. Her guiding Sora along the path to Namine is, however, for personal gain and doesn’t particularly fall under a pathological lie. All lies told by Larxene directly relate to getting what she wants, which makes this particular symptom difficult to attach to her. She also is not interested in appearing to be a hero or gain anyone’s sympathy. However, the consistent pattern of lies she tells does indicate the capability to compulsively lie without remorse. Rating: 1/2

5. Cunning and manipulativeness -  having or showing skill in achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion, the skill in achieving one's ends by deceit, the action of handling or controlling someone or something in a clever or unscrupulous way. Larxene is a traitor to the Organization and she manages to stay hidden from Xemnas’ radar for quite some time. She attempts to manipulate Axel into joining her and Marluxia in attempting to overthrow the Organization, but ultimately failed. And even though who exactly formed how much of the plan to have Namine rearrange Sora’s memories, Larxene did participate in formulating it. She also coaxes Sora into remembering the fake memories and even pushes him to become fiercely attached to the good luck charm by threatening to smash it. She can also be seen trying to twist reality so Namine will be more keen to go along with their plan by pointing out that Namine has a chance at being a person who actually exists. Rating: 2/2

6. Lack of remorse or guilt -  is the lack of the distressing emotion experienced by a person who regrets actions which they deem to be shameful, hurtful, or violent. This means that people with low remorse or guilt can do practically anything, and then act as if nothing as happened. Throughout COM, Larxene is depicted hurting children in various different ways and then laughing about it. At one point, she even states that “more pain for you means more fun for me” with a wide smile on her face. When she approaches Repliku to have his memories forcibly taken away and reconstructed, she isn’t bothered by his screams of protest. Larxene is also seen not concerned about Namine’s welfare and using her as only means to an end. When Vexen is killed, Larxene is happy about it and doesn’t seem to have any remorse or pity for him. Rating: 2/2

7. Shallow affect (superficial emotional responsiveness) - this happens when one shows or have little or no emotions. Response to different emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, joy disgust, trust, anticipation, surprise to mention a few is very low. While this symptom could easily be attributed to Larxene’s literal lack of heart, we can go even deeper here. In KHUX after meeting Lauriam, her Somebody approaches the building which her Chirithy has connected to the missing girl, Strelitzia. When she tells her Chirithy she is looking for clues, they reply to her “You don’t normally care about other people” which only serves to anger her. This shows a lack of emotional response even in her childhood. Rating: 2/2

8. Callousness and lack of empathy -  unable to empathize with the pain of their victims, having only contempt for others' feelings of distress and readily taking advantage of them. Again, we can stress how she reacts to Sora’s pain and confusion with glee, how she reacts to Namine’s guilt with a degree of confusion but mainly she disregards it, her lack of reaction to Repliku’s protests, and her joy in response to Vexen’s death. Rating: 2/2

9. Parasitic lifestyle -  an intentional, manipulative, selfish, and exploitative financial dependence on others as reflected in a lack of motivation, low self-discipline, and inability to begin or complete responsibilities. Being a Nobody with a home provided, Larxene doesn’t really have much need for finances. Her motivation level and ability to take on hard tasks is actually a bit above average as seen by her ambition to overthrow the Organization which is really the only thing she has. Low self-discipline can be seen a few times with her inability to control her temper against Namine when she tries to protect Sora. Another example is her actually expressing her displeasure to see Xemnas in KHIII, who was her Superior and is still ranked above her in KHIII. When she is on her way to confront Sora the first time, Axel makes a point of telling her not to rough him up too much. Though she dismisses his worries, it does hint at she has lost control before. Rating: 1/2

10. Poor behavioral controls - refer to violent, damaging or reactionary behavior that is not controlled, such as expressions of irritability, annoyance, impatience, threats, aggression and verbal abuse, inadequate control of anger and temper, and acting hastily, even when the consequences may be harmful to them personally. Larxene’s anger is one of her defining character traits. Her temper gets the better of her most scenarios. We go back to her slapping Namine so hard she flies across the room in COM especially. She can be seen irritable the second Axel inferences that she actually lost to Sora when she claimed she “threw the battle” and becomes extremely defensive. When explaining to Sora that Namine had been rearranging his memories, she grows impatient and resorts to verbal abuse (”You’re such an idiot”) when he insists on protecting her otherwise. And though Sora was still willing to put his own life on the line for Namine after the truth had been revealed, Larxene rushes to the conclusion that the only option available was to kill Sora even though it’s debatable the situation was still salvageable. She also is quick to be angry at Sora for forgetting about her in KHIII and yells at him for insisting that Elsa was going to turn to light before forcing him away from her. Rating 2/2

11. Sexual promiscuity - the practice of having sex frequently with different partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment if the social ideal for sexual activity is monogamous relationships. Since this is still a children’s game, no sexually explicit content is in canon. However, in the COM manga we can see that Larxene is reading a novel by Marquis De Sade, who is infamously known for his lewd books about sexual sadism. And while it isn’t an implication of a sexual relationship, Larxene is very quick to put her hands on Axel every chance she gets even if he seems uncomfortable. At the end of her life in KHIII, she confirms she had only rejoined the Organization for another person who we can reasonably conclude to be Marluxia and we can also conclude that she was flirtatious with Axel while potentially being involved with Marluxia. Rating: 2/2

12. Early behavior problems -  symptomatic expression of emotional or interpersonal maladjustment especially in children (as by nail-biting, enuresis, negativism, or by overt hostile or antisocial acts). Due to KHUX’s animation and story telling pace, we don’t get to see much of Larxene’s Somebody’s mannerisms and body language or how she interacts with most people. However, as mentioned before, even her own Chirithy notes her tendency not to care about other people. (I will be making a separate post elaborating on how I view Elrena very soon) Rating: 1/2

13. Lack of realistic long-term goals -  means someone believes they can achieve great things in a short amount of time. Does not plan ahead and is deluded by predestined certainties. Larxene can be seen trying to rush the process of corrupting Sora in a few instances. One is insisting she go down there and jog his memory herself. Another is pushing Vexen to rush work on Repliku. She never mentions her reasoning for betraying the Organization, the closest we get is that she was bored by life in the castle. When joining the real Organization in KHIII, her only reason is to be “along for the ride” despite the fact she doesn’t wish to become a husk for Xehanort. Rating: 2/2

14. Impulsivity -  is a tendency to act on a whim, displaying behavior characterized by little or no forethought, reflection, or consideration of the consequences. The fact that Larxene agreed to serve under Xehanort despite disagreeing with his goals just to be close to Marluxia is a case in point of this. She also displays some impulsive behavior in 358/2 Days when she abruptly comes up with the idea for Roxas to not be allowed to use his keyblade during their mission together. She also lets it slip to Roxas that, if he were to fail, they had a backup option already. Rating: 2/2

15. Irresponsibility -  lack of a proper sense of responsibility, Though Larxene does take on the big responsibility of betraying the Organization, but she doesn’t show a particular zeal for the assignments said Organization gives her when she plays the part of a loyal member. In 358/2 Days, she complains to Roxas about her responsibility to train him. She’s also quick to forget that Sora no longer remembered her in KHIII and gets offended when he doesn’t recognize her. Rating: 1/2

16. Failure to accept responsibility for own actions -  taking ownership of one’s own behavior and the consequences of that behavior. When Axel betrays Larxene and Marluxia in COM, she immediately pins the entire downfall on their plan on Axel instead of recognizing her own shortcomings in the matter. In the manga, it shows Larxene eating and drinking with Marluxia when she very well could have been watching the security cameras they have set up around Castle Oblivion to ensure Namine stayed safely in captivity. In COM, as she is dying, she refuses to accept her own defeat and stumbles around trying to regain the upper hand in a situation which was obviously hopeless for her. Rating: 2/2

17. Many short-term marital relationships - A lack of commitment to a long-term relationship reflected in inconsistent, undependable, and unreliable commitments in life, including marital. Larxene has never been confirmed to have been married, nor do I believe she has been. This could potentially could be written off she has no opportunity to be so while within the Organization. However, as noted before, she very well has the capability of being flirtatious and disloyal. Rating: 1/2

18. Juvenile delinquency -  the habitual committing of criminal acts or offenses by a young person, especially one below the age at which ordinary criminal prosecution is possible. Larxene’s Somebody is depicted as entering a building without the consent of whoever owns it (if anyone does own it) to investigate a lead in a missing person’s case. Again, I will also be making a more in depth post about Elrena and how psychopathy influenced her childhood. Rating: 1/2

19. Revocation of conditional release -  the disciplinary action which follows a failure to follow through with the terms of being freed. I.E. a revoking of parole While Larxene was never seen imprisoned or breaking the terms of a parole, she can be seen tossing around the idea of betraying the real Organization after being let back into their ranks following her previous acts of treason. Rating: 2/2

20. Criminal versatility -  is the characteristic of someone who is untroubled by any question of legitimacy of a prohibition at all.  Larxene is someone who has committed a few crimes in canon, mainly assaulting others which she does repeatedly. She also is seen having little regard for the Organization’s authority, which lead to her committing treason against it. Rating: 2/2

Total score: 34 Larxene does score a bit more than enough to be diagnosed as a psychopath going by this criteria and the instances we see in canon.

[harper-clarington]

U Is Smart, U is gay, U is important || hsquared

Where: Pop’s When: Wednesday, November 28 Warnings: overconsumption of milkshakes, a gay in denial, harper being a manipulative demon Word Count: 4,494 words

Harper in italics, @northsidehunter​ in bold

Harper was tired of her twin evading the truth about what was going on with him and Sebastian. What part of no secrets was difficult for him to understand? In the back of her mind, she acknowledged that she was also keeping a secret when it came to her...encounter with Roman Lynn in his room. But that was different. She wasn't hiding anything. If he asked she'd be honest...but she'd been a darling sister and cleaned up the evidence so it's not like there was anything to worry about anyways. The real focus here was her brother and the fact that watching him and Sebastian dance around each other was exhausting. That was why she'd managed to coax him into going out to Pop's for a milkshake and some good ol' fashioned twin talk. And now they were sitting in a cozy booth in the corner of the diner, across from each other and far away from everyone else that they wouldn't be overheard, and Harper was going to wring the truth out of him if it was the last thing she did. "So.....big brother, how have you been?"

Hunter made a mental note to himself to strangle the hell out of Sebastian for drunkenly slipping the truth of their little .. thing -- he most definitely wasn't prepared to speak up, even to Harper, especially since it has only been a couple of days since their first fuck. There were still other unspoken feelings that he wanted to address -- not to Sebastian, but to himself. He should have seen it coming when Harper cornered him in the hallways, asking (begging) to accompany her to Pop's. Hunter could never say no to Harper, really, even though he had an unsettling hunch at the back of his mind that Harper wanted more than just a milkshake. She knew, he could see it, and she wanted details -- but he still found himself lying (evading, mostly) at every question she threw him.

Hunter leans back against his seat, his eyes on the glass of milkshake they were currently sharing. "Good." He answers simply, his face straight. To be honest, he had no idea why he was keeping this facade up -- Harper was his wombmate, they told each other everything, but for some unknown reason, the topic of Sebastian was something Hunter was .. Hesitant on opening up about. "You?"

Harper raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment for the time being. Getting information out of her brother was sometimes a slow and calculated game, one that she was well-versed in by now. You couldn't force things out of Hunter — he was too stubborn for that.  So Harper was going to go for slow and steady until Hunter cracked. "I am....as well as can be expected considering everything with Bri," she said, honestly. It was true. Her best friend's disappearance was weighing on her, but she'd been trying her best to drown it out with shopping and fucking and anything else she could do to get her mind off it. 

 She leaned forward and took a sip of their shared milkshake, before pulling back and putting her chin on her hand. "Can I please get a little more than 'Good'," she asked, sweetly. "We spent nine months in a womb together and you're really going to talk to me like we're complete strangers? I'm kind of hurt, Hunt, not going to lie."

His eyes dart back up to her, and he nods solemnly. Sebrina and Harper were close — just as close as he and Sebastian were; even though she refused to show it, Hunter knew that she wasn’t taking the news well. 

 He stays silent, the gears in his brain turning and whirring to formulate a response that didn’t sound too guilty or suspicious. “I have an essay due by Friday,” he starts with a smile, taking a sip after Harper. “1000 words, and I’m only half-way finished.” This definitely wasn’t the answer Harper wanted, but hell — Hunter didn’t care.

Harper nodded, reaching out to grab the cherry off the top of their milkshake. She popped it into her mouth and sucked on the fruit, waiting to see if Hunter planned on elaborating. It didn't seem likely so she swallowed and then fixed him with an unimpressed stare. 

"1000 words is really not that bad," she insisted. "You've got plenty of time. What's it about?" She murmured, deciding to let Hunter think he'd knocked her off his tail. She'd return to Sebastian when the time was right. He'd told her the truth after all, so she had their texts as a trump card if it really came down to it.

Hunter kept his eyes fixated on the glass, absentmindedly stabbing the thick concoction, “A Tale of Two Cities — we have to summarize it. I’ve finished reading it a couple of nights ago, I suppose I’d be able to finish the whole thing by tonight.” 

 The topic about Sebastian seemed to have dissipated, but Hunter kept his guard up. Harper wasn’t going to give up this easily; she was a Clarington, after all.

Harper hummed in acknowledgement. "Dickens isn't too bad. Let me know if you need a second pair of eyes. I'm happy to read it over."  She reached out to grab her brother's wrist, stilling his hand on the straw, and shot him an amused smirk. "Is there a particular reason you're attempting to murder a perfectly good milkshake?  Has the dairy done something to offend you somehow?" 

 She withdrew her hand and drew a heart on the condensation on their milkshake glass instead as she considered her brother's tense posture. This whole thing was really bothering him, it seemed. She just couldn't understand why he wouldn't talk about it so that she could help.

Hunter smiles, pleased. “I’ll hand it to you after dinner, then.” He was about to take another sip, when Harper’s hand takes his, and he looks up at his sister with an unreadable expression. He hadn’t even realized it. She was clearly trying to draw a specific answer out of him, but Hunter will not budge. “The consistency is thicker than usual,” he shrugs, “I’m not a fan of it.”

Harper nodded, perfectly happy to help Hunter out with his assignments if he needed her to. She furrowed her brow and took another sip. The milkshake tasted perfectly fine to her, just the same as their usual Pop's fare. "If it's bothering you that much, we can tell them. I'm sure they'll make as another," she replied, already raising her arm to flag down some of the waitstaff.

Hunter gently pulls her arm down with a shake of his head, “You don’t have to,” he says, “It’s just a milkshake. I wouldn’t want them to go out of their way to make us another one, I can live with this.” He stirs the milkshake a little more with his straw, before sipping again, just to prove a point.

Harper sighed, shaking her head but lowering her head. "Alright, alright, if you say so," she muttered. She leaned down and took a sip out of her straw as well. "It tastes fine to me though." 

 She tilted her head to the side, smiling softly. "You know Blaine right? Blaine Anderson. Wears bowties and always has too much gel in his hair?" Hunter’s head perks up at that, and he nods, a little confused at the quick subject change. “Yeah,” he answers, slowly, dropping his straw back into the glass. “I’ve talked to him a couple of times. What’s up with Blaine?”

Harper shrugged, smiling into their shake. "Oh, nothing. He's just really sweet, that's all. I kind of want to get to know him better," she let the sentence drag out for a second, absently stirring the milkshake between them.  "I think Sebastian likes him so I figured I'd make an effort."

Hunter almost freezes, and his eyes widen slightly as a nasty, unfamiliar feeling settled in his chest. He chews down his bottom lip, leaning down to take another sip of their milkshake — a long, dragging sip, a shitty attempt to freeze his brain. “That’s good, Blaine’s nice,” he said, hating the way the words choked out of his mouth. Harper steamrolled on, eyes fixed on Hunter's face. "Yeah...I mean Seb's been flirting with him but he flirts with everyone so it's kind of hard to tell if it's going to go anywhere," she murmured. "But I mean it'd also be a nice change of pace for him to be committed for once. I think Blaine'd be good for him," she said, waving her hand as she spoke. “Of course Sebastian flirts with everyone, it’s in his nature,” Hunter snaps, taking his straw and hastily swirling the shake, “Good for him if he decides to settle down — Blaine’s sweet, I can’t imagine anybody else perfect for Sebastian.” His tone was slightly hostile, but his words were true, somewhat, because Blaine was, indeed, a genuinely nice person. If Sebastian liked him, then good.

Harper raised an eyebrow, hiding her smile behind her hand at Hunter's tone. She knew she was pushing a lot of her brother's buttons, so ideally he'd fess up soon. But Harper was patient, she would wring what she wanted out of him. "I mean...I don't know if I'd say perfect, that's kind of a big jump. But they'd certainly be cute, don't you think?"

Taking a deep breath, Hunter sets his straw down, leaning back against his seat. He absolutely hated the thought of Sebastian and Blaine together, however cute they may be. “Harper, do I look like I give a shit? They can — go fuck, or whatever, I don’t care. Sebastian can do what he wants.”

Harper raised her hands in a placating gesture, looking down at the table. "Cool your jets, Hunter. I was just making small talk about our good friend," she said. "If there's something else you'd rather talk about, go right ahead, or you can just continue to attempt to burn a hole through the table with the sheer force of your glare."

“I’m not glaring,” he forces a smile, “I’m happy, see? I’m happy for Sebastian and Blaine.” He falls into silence for a couple of moments, trying to calm the bubbling feeling of contempt in his stomach — he and Sebastian weren’t exclusive fuckbuddies, and Sebastian had every right to sleep with whoever he wanted, but how come he was so against the idea of Sebastian dating?

Harper snorted. "You look ecstatic," she snarked. "Again, I don't think there's anything to be happy for yet, but I mean, like you said it doesn't matter either way," she mused. "We should find dates too though...it'd be fun to go on like a triple date or something...ooooh, we could go bowling! That's fun with more people." She pulled out her phone and opened up a text, with no intention of actually sending it. "I'm gonna ask Blaine if he likes bowling."

Hunter reached out in an attempt to snatch Harper’s phone, “No, what the fuck — stop that. I hate bowling.” It was a lame excuse, because Hunter was pretty good at bowling, but he’d rather not go on a triple date; six people was a crowd, and Hunter hated crowds. Yes, that was it. “You’re not dragging me into this.”

Harper giggled and raised her arms over her head and away from her brother, still tapping away. "You're coming. We can do something else. Maybe a movie? I really want to see Bohemian Rhapsody? Or something you'd rather do?" She sent the text, making sure the volume on her phone was on and Hunter could hear the sound, even if she wasn't actually sending it to any real number.

"I have far more important shit to do," Hunter says quickly, looking up at her phone helplessly. "Or, we could go together, just the two of us. Sebastian and Blaine don't have to come with us," although his tone had slightly turned sour at the mention of their names, Hunter nods approvingly at his own suggestion. "Twin bonding. How's that sound?"

Harper shook her head, scrunching her nose up and sliding her phone back into her pocket. “No, that’d be mean. Sebastian’s our friend and he needs us right now with everything going on with Bri. Besides we twin bond all the time. Hell we’re doing it now.” She waved her hand between them to emphasize her point. “I don’t understand. You’re usually more then down to hang out with Sebastian and you just said you like Blaine so what’s the problem?”

Letting out a sigh, Hunter's eyes dejectedly dart back up to meet Harper's. "It's just -- God, fine, what do you want to hear?" This conversation clearly wasn't going anywhere, and Harper's questions about Sebastian and Blaine were really fucking annoying.

Harper rolled her eyes. "I want to hear the truth. From you." She fiddled with the straw, fixing her brother with a glare. "This line of conversation is clearly bothering you. And as you probably know, Sebastian told me you two finally consummated your years of sexual tension so I don't know why you're being so cagey instead of just talking to me."

Hunter was back to swirling the milkshake, avoiding Harper’s gaze. It wasn’t bothering him, not at all. “It’s not,” he voices out his thoughts, sounding a little too petulant for his liking. Harper caught him — he can’t really lie to Harper anymore; not when she knows about his little hookup with Sebastian. “It’s weird,” he says, taking another sip of his milkshake, “It’s Sebastian. My best friend.”

Harper stilled his hand on the milkshake again, and instead pulled it down to the table so that she could lace their fingers, hoping the movement would ground him. "What's weird? That we're talking about Sebastian dating someone else or that the two of you hooked up?"

Hunter pauses, Harper’s question weighing down on him; what was weird? Hooking up with Sebastian wasn’t weird — in fact, it was almost natural, ”I — I don’t know,” he says, completely at a loss.

Harper tilted her head, rubbing her thumb over the top of Hunter's hand comfortably. "Well...what was it about this whole thing that made you so hesitant to talk to me about it in the first place?" She pursed her lips, trying not to feel offended since she knew Hunter was working through his own stuff. "We're usually so forthcoming with one another." “It’s Sebastian,” he says again, as if that was enough of an explanation for Harper. “He’s .. Different, I don’t know — we’ve known each other since we were babies, it’s..” He stops, “I don’t know.” He huffs out a frustrated sigh, “I’m sorry, I — it just felt like I had to keep .. This to myself until I’ve straightened my thoughts out.”

Harper shook her head, smiling gently at her twin. "Don't be sorry, Hunt. I just want what's best for you and if that's Sebastian, I'm happy for you," she explained. She withdrew her hand, not wanting to overwhelm him. "Can I be very blunt or is that going to scare you off?"

He manages a smile back, grateful for his little sister’s support. “It’s hard admitting it, you know? You’re the first person I’ve told — even though Sebastian doesn’t seem to have a problem announcing it to the world.” Hunter braces himself for the worst. “No, I’d rather you tell me straight-up. What is it?”

Harper snorted. "I mean has he ever been subtle about anything ever?" She wondered aloud.  She shot her brother a sympathetic smile. "I'm just going to give you my thoughts, and they might help you straighten yours out and they might not." She took a breath. "I really don't think this is just a fuck or a friends with benefits situation for you...yeah you've known Seb since we were all dorky infants, but that's not why this is all..." she waved her hand in the air abstractly. "...confusing. I just think you're finally opening the floodgates to a lot of feelings you've both been fighting for some inane reason and it's overwhelming you. Is that right at all or do I need to fuck off?"

Unbeknownst to himself, a small, fond grin makes its way across his face, and he looks down at his milkshake, looking almost shy, “He could have tried — Sebastian said he’d keep quiet about it, but I should have known better.” He was grazing his thumb across the back of Harper’s wrist, which had stopped the moment his sister’s words came crashing down on him, like a pile of bricks. “I..” The words get caught in his throat, and he huffs out a disbelieving laugh. “Feelings. The last time I’ve talked about my feelings was when I broke up with Natalie.” Harper shook her head, sympathetically patting him on the arm. "I still don't understand the decisions that went into that when both of you are still in town, but that's neither here nor there," she muttered, taking another sip of the shake, frowning as she noticed they were nearing the bottom. "I think that's your problem. You should talk about them more. It'll get that constipated look off your face," she joked. "So," she waved her hand in the air again. "How do you feel when you're with Bas?"

"That's a talk for another time, I suppose." Hunter squints. He'd rather not think about Natalie as of the moment -- they, too, had fallen in a similar arrangement, despite having ended their relationship on ..  Emotional terms. "Constipated. Really." Hunter scrunches his nose, a little offended, but Harper wasn't the only person who had told him that. "With Sebastian? Happy." That was one way to put it -- he could elaborate; he might, if Harper asked, but he was one hundred percent sure that he wouldn't be able to shut up if he did so. "Do you want to order another milkshake, Harp? The chocolate-flavoured one?"

Harper nodded, it wasn't the time to talk about that relationship now. Though it might be if Natalie and Sebastian didn't stop trying to maim each other over social media, another talk about her brother getting his beaus under control might be necessary. "Yes. You look like something very unpleasant is lodged up your ass," she snorted, before finishing off the milkshake. "Chocolate would be nice," she replied, before turning back to the topic at hand. His feelings. "What kind of happy? Same kind of happy you feel with me?" She prodded.

After calling a waitress over to order a glass of chocolate milkshake, Hunter found himself instinctively shaking his head at Harper's question with a laugh, "No, it's .. Different.. He's different. It's hard to explain." He reaches out for Harper's hand again, taking it and squeezing it. "Don't get the wrong idea, I love you; you're still my number one. Sebastian -- is Sebastian." He waves his other hand vaguely, trying to get his point across.

Harper shot him a broad smile, happy at the reassurance even though she hadn't been worried about that for even a second. "Duh, I better be," she joked, squeezing his hand back. "But try — to explain, I mean. Sebastian being Sebastian to you means something different than it does to me," she explained. "To me, he's a friend, an ex-dance partner, a karaoke duet king and the best person to gossip with. What's he to you?" What was Sebastian to him? A good fuck -- no, he was more than that. They had set some ground rules, though, they had promised each other to keep things between them strictly platonic, feelings-wise. "He's my best friend. A person I can blindly trust." Hunter grins, "He's egotistical, quite a handful when intoxicated, and is ridiculously high-maintenance, but.." His features soften, "I like .. Maintaining him, if that makes any sense."

Harper wondered in Hunter realized the literal hearteyes he was making at the moment but she thought it best not to mention it. Instead she tried for another angle. "Is...do you want to be the only person maintaining him? I mean you didn't seem very happy about the idea of Blaine doing the same when I mentioned it to you earlier," she explained, just as the waitress placed a new milkshake in front of them.

His jaw tightens at the mention of Blaine, “Maybe .. Maybe I was just being selfish,” Hunter answered slowly, though it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself, rather than Harper. He takes a small sip of the chocolate milkshake. “Blaine — Blaine’s great. He’s a great guy. Nice, patient, intelligent, fun to talk to. They’d be good together.” Harper didn’t miss her brother tensing up all over again, so she tread carefully. “I don’t think it’s selfish to want to have someone to yourself if they’re ok with it too,” she said, running her finger along the top of her straw. “Blaine is great. You’re naming all sorts of characteristics that are lovely but I don’t know if you...are being totally truthful here.”

"I'm being truthful about Blaine," he retorts -- it was true, Hunter genuinely liked Blaine. It was the thought of Sebastian and Blaine dating that put him off. He looks up at Harper, face hesitant. "Does -- does Sebastian actually like Blaine?" He asked tentatively, "He .. Never brought it up. Not that he has an obligation to."

Harper reached over to squeeze Hunter's hand again, intertwining their fingers. "I don't actually think he wants to date him or anything...just that he's cute," she said softly. "Seb's not exactly the commitment type, is he?" For some reason, Harper's consoling words didn't help. "Yeah -- yeah," he huffs out a humourless laugh, "He's not. Neither am I." A lie. He'd dated Natalie for 2 years. "Which, you know, is a good thing, because it makes things less .. Complicated."

Harper rolled her eyes. Hunter had such a tendency to not really see himself for who he really was at all. "You dated Nat for like two years," she pointed out, leaning in to take a sip of their shake. "It's not really complicated. Either you're two bros helping each other out or it's more than that and you should re-evaluate whether this whole thing is going to end up hurting someone or not."

Hunter chews down on his bottom lip, "I -- whatever." Natalie was the longest relationship he's ever had, and admittedly, there were times where he missed her, fleeting moments where he wanted her back, but Hunter wasn't one to impulsively act out on his emotions. "Sebastian and I have already talked about it. We .. Won't let it jeopardize our friendship. You could say that we're just 'bros helping each other out'," he says with a shrug, "That's that. I guess."

Harper reached out to poke her brother in the cheek, shaking her head at his naivety. "Listen, I don't mean to be the person that poked holes in well-laid plans but you guys can 'talk' all you want, but if someone is or does catch feelings that all spirals. And if feelings are involved, it's better to be honest about them sooner rather than later. That's how you preserve the friendship."

Resisting the urge to swat Harper's hand away in a fit of petty annoyance, Hunter leans back against his seat, his face twisted in a small frown. "That won't be a problem," Hunter said, faltering a bit and he immediately hated the uncertainty that laced his voice. "Because feelings aren't involved. He's -- he's my best friend. Sure, we've crossed a boundary, and there's no going back, but.. There's .. Nothing to worry about."

Harper sighed. There was only so much prodding a sister could do without outright spelling things out for her brother and she was worried if she did, he'd have a fit, so she erred on the side of caution. "If you say so, brother dearest. I'd just be careful if I were you." She took another sip of the shake. "Anyways, if this is all fine and dandy, I still don't understand why you tried so hard not to tell me. I'm your sister not your  warden. W're supposed to talk to each other about stuff." "Because it's weird," Hunter protested, "It's Sebastian," he says again, as it that explanation in itself would help Harper comprehend the complexity of the situation. He leans close, taking a long sip of the chocolate shake, "I know. I'll -- be more open about .. Him. This whole situation in general, even though there's nothing much to talk about. He's just my best friend. Whom I find attractive."

Harper shrugged, not particularly convinced. “I mean he is attractive. But anyways, if you do feel like the situation is spiralling, I am here for you, you know? Through anything. Even the weirdness.” She reaches out to squeeze Hunter’s hand again. “But really there’s no need to worry about him dating anyone else, if you ask me.”

He shoots her a small, grateful smile, squeezing her hand back. “Thank you,” he says sincerely. “It’s — I don’t know why it’s frustrating me so much, trying to .. Wrap my head around this.” His brows furrow, “Also, I’m not worried about him dating anyone.” "It's not something you need to figure out right now or even today. But it's something you should probably try to work out eventually, either with my help or on your own. It'll give you some sort of peace of mind and it'll help you navigate your arrangement with him better," she suggested, releasing his hand after one last squeeze. "Okay, Hunter," she replied, not convinced in the slightest but not wanting to cause a fight.

His frown only deepens a little at her dubious tone, but he doesn’t say anything else. He takes one last sip of the shake, before drawing back. “We should get going, unless you’d want to stay for a third glass?” He teases with a grin, “Though, you’re going to need to wear yourself to a shadow dancing the calories off.”

Harper scrunched up her face, offended. "I dance away enough calories for a day of indulgence, thank you," she muttered. "But yes, let's go. The rabble are starting to trickle in." She nodded her head to one of the other tables — it had been empty before they got there but was now brimming with South Siders.

“Of course, just don’t get carried away.” After waving the waitress over and paying for the milkshakes, Hunter slides out of the booth, wrapping a protective arm around Harper as he glanced at the rowdy group in distaste, “Dregs,” he said simply with a shake of his head, stepping out of the diner and walking back to his car.