8 "It was a beautiful letdown...painfully uncool"
Something that sounded vaguely like "Phantom of the Opera" echoed from the depths of Nakoa's pocket. Her brow furrowed and she dug for her phone, flipping it open to read Jeremy across the glowing screen.

"Shit," she sighed and glanced at Hyde with a defeated look, "I'm sorry Hyde...I really wanted to stay and talk...but...I have to take this, and it doesn't look like I get much reception down here."

Hyde nodded and forced himself not to scoff. Instead, he just looked away and headed back into the darkness of his room. He heard her babbling on her phone, and then the door close. And just like that...she was gone.

"What a confused little girl."

"Shut up Chaos, or I'll put you back in your cage."

"Oooh...fiesty aren't you?" The sound of wings flapping cut the silence of the room. Hyde held still and waited for his pet to land as he had a habit of tripping over her when she did the whole blend-into-the-scenery lizard shit. To his dismay...she chose the top of his head. He grumbled and batted at her, but she just dug her little claws into his scalp the more he did.

"I'm gonna start ripping out hair again if you don't stop that," Little Chaos said in her oh-so-sweet voice. She sounded so harmless like that...

"Whatever...why you bugging me?"

"I always bug you sweety, it's what I do best," he felt a little cold lick on his forehead.

"Would you get off my head already, you're heavier than you think," Hyde plopped back down on his bed and proceeded to curl back under the covers, not even waiting for her to answer, as he knew she'd lose balance with all this movement.

She squeaked (well, as close a 'squeak' noise a dragon could possibly make) and crawled down his shoulder, making sure she snapped her little teeth at him. Hyde just shoved her gently and pulled the blanket over his head.

"You're hiding again 'Rion."

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"You always hide from your problems," he felt her pacing a circle next to his head, then settle on top of the blanket, "look at what hiding has done for you already."

"But this hiding is keeping me from being killed."

She hissed, obviously irritated at his sour mood, and scrambled under the blanket so she could stare at him. Her delicate little face showed just how irritated she was. Her tongue lashed out and poked him in the nose.

"Pouting gets you no where. And I know you're just faking this whole sick thing. It's time to face reality buddy...Nakoa cares about you, but I can sense her confusion. Stop being such a mysterious little fuck when she's around." She manuevered so she could rest her long neck against his. "I love you 'Rian, and I would do anything to see you happy...which means if you don't get your ass out of this bed, I'll be forced to singe your eyebrows off so you have a real excuse to stay home."

"What about Twitch..."

"What about her? So you lead her on a little to make her think you're two different people...big deal. She'll figure it on her own."

"But she'll be so crushed."

"Look...I don't know this Twitch girl, but for the love of the Goddess I'm sick of you squatting in this cesspit feeling sorry for yourself and worrying about everything. Warrick called when you were sleeping and I posed as Mom and told him to call later. And if I'm not mistaken, he probably wants to go out. You're not working, he's not working...so get the fuck outta bed."

Hyde growled and wrapped his arms around the little winged creature and pinned her to his chest. She squeaked again, but cuddled close to him as he rolled over on his back and pushed the covers off of them. He was glaring at her intensely when he finally let her go. She shook herself and flapped her wings.

"You're a pain in my ass."

"But you love me 'Rion..."

He managed a smile and gave her scaley chin a scratch, "Yeah...yeah I do."

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