Short Story: [Emberfate] Banter Gone Wrong

Hey everyone! 

Sorry it's taken so long to get these reward posts up. It's been a bit crazy over here due to holidays and the pandemic situation in China and HK. 

For those of you who were already a $15 or above Patron last month and have remained on the tier this month, as promised, you'll receive a free copy of the dev booklet DLC ahead of the public sale. I'm really close to being done with it, just missing some extra drabbles. It might come a little later than expected, but even if you cancel or downgrade your pledge for Jan, I'll still PM you a download link to the booklet once it's ready. I'm really sorry about the delay, but I'll hopefully have this done in a few days! 

Anyway, with that out of the way, let's move on to the actual short story reward post for this month — Chris' story in the First Argument series. This one's written by Nic W and edited by me. I hope you guys enjoy this! 

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The door slams behind you with more force than the poor door frame deserves, but you barely notice, too distracted by the sting in your eyes and the tight, almost choking knot in your throat. In one smooth motion, you rip off your coat and kick off your shoes, again with more force than necessary. Tossing your keys haphazardly in a nearby drawer, you stomp down the hall into the welcome sight of your cozy apartment. 

Maybe a little too cozy, you realize as your eyes are immediately drawn to the stuffed bunny plush you keep on your couch, affectionately named "Pro" and given to you by…

You swallow, and the sting in your eyes becomes harsher as your vision blurs.

Chris.

Desperately you blink the tears away, and your thoughts unwillingly spiral back to earlier in the day — to Chris, your partner, who is the reason for your currently rising tide of emotions.

Today is supposed to be special, flawless. This is supposed to be your first proper offline date in almost three weeks, as commitments to both school and work seemed determined to keep you apart. All week, you've been practically bouncing in anticipation, overflowing with excitement at the promise of just seeing him in person and doing some much-missed proper couple activities, like kissing and taking in his familiar accent without the need of a mic. 

The plan was to spend a casual afternoon at the nearby coffee shop to catch up and banter before heading out to see that new movie you'd both been dying to watch together. And that's what the two of you were doing, until...

Until you had a fight. A bad one, a real one — a first in your half-year relationship. All over something incredibly stupid.

Your eyes drift back to the bunny. Seeing how much you loved playing with their bunnies whenever you visited, Chris took it upon themself to buy you a little plush bunny to keep you company when you're at home alone. Of course, they claimed it was a joke, a silly little gift that they just happened to grab, but from the softness of its fur and detailed coloring that makes it look quite a bit like Rookie, you know in your heart that they put a lot of thought and effort into getting this for you.

He's always been sweet like that, even if he denies it, but you know it to be true. With that memory firmly lodged in your head, you let out a soft sniff and settle yourself onto the couch, reaching for the plush in question and holding it tightly against your chest. Leaning your head back against the sofa and letting your eyes close, you chew on your lip and once again redirect your thoughts to the fight you'd had with him earlier.

It was a stupid argument — you knew that already, maybe even in the moment itself, but looking back at it from your current position, that fact is more apparent than ever. As you stroke the soft fake fur absentmindedly, you also realize that most of it, or maybe all of it even, was your fault.

You sigh quietly, shifting your legs to tuck yourself into a criss-cross-apple-sauce position. To be honest, you're not even sure why you got so pissed; bickering and bantering is a major part of yours and Chris' relationship, and it's never done with malice, but rather with affection. Yet, for some reason, his joke at the movies today just landed wrong. As a result, you got defensive, and in turn, your teasing got a little more pointed, intending to get under his skin. Which, of course, upset Chris, and what was supposed to be playful banter quickly devolved into an actual argument, right there in the theater lobby, in front of the concession stand.

You wince at the memory. How humiliating. 

You walked out there and then, claiming you need fresh air and some space alone. Perhaps respecting your wish, Chris didn't try to stop you from leaving either. 

Your anger didn't carry you for long, and by the time you were halfway home, the bubbling pot of rage inside you had dissipated, leaving you wishing you could turn back around and undo it all.

But you didn't. A strange mixture of pride and embarrassment had you continuing your journey back home — and maybe a bit of fear too. Fear that Chris was pissed at you, that the argument would start back where it left off.

A fear that you'd ruined things completely.

That thought strikes a chord in you, a painful jolt that has your eyes flying open and you dropping the bunny to your side. Letting the anxious urge push you along, before you can change your mind, you pull out your phone from your pocket and quickly tap 2 to speed dial.

It rings once, twice, and it occurs to you that he might just refuse to pick up. The thought churns painfully inside you, but thankfully he answers before it can take root.

"...Hello?" His tone is definitely not happy, but it doesn't sound like he's furious — more tired and cautious than anything. Your brain stalls, and it takes immense effort to get anything out.

"Hi…" You say softly, wincing at how awkward you sound. For a minute, neither of you says anything else, as you try to summon the will to apologize and maybe explain your feelings. You take a deep breath, and the words tumble out of your mouth right as he starts talking too.

"I'm sorry!" You both blurt it out together, and his accent mishmashes with yours. Somehow, you can't help but find that funny, and an untimely chuckle escapes you. "Jinx," you say teasingly, "I think you owe me a soda now, Chris."

Chris laughs on the other end, and the sound fills you with warmth. "Fine by me. I think I owe you a couple after today." His amusement trails off, and you bite your tongue to stop your impending jumble of words as you feel him gathering his thoughts.

"Listen," he starts awkwardly, "I'm sorry about today, I shouldn't have made that joke. I know it's a sore spot for you, and it was a jerk move on my part, especially since I haven't seen you in a while."

You let out a slow exhale, a little bit surprised by his apology, as you felt that most of the fault lay with you and your overreaction. Still, the comment did hurt, and hearing him apologize and acknowledge that fact washed away any lingering upset. Your own apology comes out easier in turn. 

"Thanks, Chris, I appreciate it. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gone from 0 to 100 like that, especially since I knew that you weren't being mean." Then, shifting your weight slightly, your tongue darts out to wet your lips as you ask the all-important question. "Can you forgive me?"

You can hear the relief in his tone. "Absolutely. Can you forgive me for being a bonehead?"

You laugh. "Obviously, I do that every day anyway." They let out a fake gasp of outrage at the slight, and you giggle, your smile stretching as everything in your relationship shifts back into place. Your heartbeat returns to its normal rhythm as the conversation resumes, and you're amazed at how much better you feel.

"Okay, as much as I'd love to kiss and make up some more, I should probably hang up now and get back to driving. I've been parked here illegally on the side of the streets for a while now to talk to you, and I should probably get going before someone calls the cops on me or something." 

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry. I forgot your drive is much longer than mine. Don't let me keep you any longer. Drive safe, and call me when you get home?" 

"'Course. I'll talk to you soon then," he replies. You wait for him to hang up, but a moment later, he speaks again. " Hey, I'm glad we had this talk, you know? I'm glad that we're okay."

You can't help but smile. "Me too. I'm glad neither of us are good at holding grudges. I love you, Chris."

You can hear the smile in his reply. "I love you too."