"Hey, little dude," Larry greeted Violet from one of his bean bags. "Are you crying?"

Violet reached up to feel for more tears. For now, they seemed to have stopped. "No, I have allergies."

"What's goin' on?" He pushed.

"Nothing, I'm okay."

"You read like a book. Tell ol' Larry what's on your mind."

"It's nothing."

"Sal's gonna come out of the bathroom in a minute and force it out of you anyway. Might as well fess up now."

Violet slowly approached the bean bag opposite him and sat down, pulling her knees to her chest. She felt the tears pricking at her eyes again. "It's stupid anyway. I'm just being a crybaby."

"You can tell me, dude," the dark-haired boy assured her, his voice softening. "I don't judge."

The door suddenly opened behind her. "Hey, Vi," came Sal's voice.

"Hey, Sally." She didn't turn around, but instead kept her gaze locked on the floor.

"Something going on?" He asked, sitting down beside her bean bag. "You sound upset."

"Can we talk about why you guys asked me to come down here instead?"

The boys glanced at each other, exchanging concerned looks. This behavior was very unlike Violet. Perhaps she had another encounter with the Red-Eyed Demon on her way down. Although, that's not something she'd hide from them at this point. Sal knew he should have gone up to get her.

"Well," Larry started, "we have a little surprise for you. Please direct your attention to my dresser."

Violet did as she was told as the boys hurried over to a medium-sized box covered by a towel that sat atop Larry's dresser. Surely they hadn't gotten her a present for moving algebra classes. The only other options would be her birthday or Christmas, both of which were several months away.

"Violet Sinclaire, prepare to be amazed!" Sal said with a booming voice.

"Try not to crap yourself!" Larry added in a similar tone.

Both boys grabbed the ends of the towel and turned to each other. "One, two, three!" The towel dropped to the floor, revealing a fish tank. A large skull statue sat in the middle of the tank with 2 smaller guitar statues on either side of it. The neon blue gravel lining the bottom of the glass also held down several plants. And to top it all off, a gorgeous red betta fish was swimming happily in his new home. The tank was even equipped with a heater and a thermometer.

"Y-You guys got me the fish I liked?" Violet stammered, a wide smile spreading across her face.

"Sal picked him out. I picked the decorations," Larry said.

"Do you like it?" Sal asked.

The girl stood up, outstretching her arms to both of her friends. "I love it..."

The boys came in for a tight hug. Sal's cinnamon smell and Larry's weed/cheep cologne smell combined to create an oddly comforting scent. The stress of her parents' quarreling melted away instantly. She couldn't have asked for better friends.

"What are you gonna name him, Vi?" Sal inquired as they pulled away.

"Um, I'm not sure. Maybe we can choose a name together."

"Rip Jaw, Killer, Chainsaw. Just to name a few," Larry brainstormed.

Violet frowned. "Something unrelated to aggravated assault or murder, preferably."

"Damn."

"Pizza?" Sal suggested.

"Fry?"

"Ketchup?"

"Tomato?"

Then, the three looked at each other, their eyes wide with excitement. Smiles crept onto their faces. "HOT SAUCE!"

> > >

The trio sat on the floor for hours, just watching Hot Sauce swim around while they talked. Larry sat in one bean bag while Violet and Sal shared the other. They decided to turn on the blue lights in the fish tank and turn off Larry's lamp. It was just bright enough to illuminate the area they were sitting in with a soft blue glow.

"Let's get Larry another bean bag for Christmas," Violet told Sal, shifting her body so that her elbow wasn't digging into his ribcage.

"Agreed."

Secretly, the two did enjoy sharing the space to some degree. A bit more room would've been nice. Violet lost count of the number of times they bumped heads or stepped on each other's feet.

"How did you guys know how to set up a fish tank, out of curiosity?" She asked the two boys.

They shrugged. "Todd."

"Hmm."

"You know, little dude," Larry said, "if your parents won't let you keep Hot Sauce at your place, you can leave him down here. I like him."

Violet smiled. "Thanks, Larry."

At this point, she could sneak a dog into her room without her parents noticing, let alone a fish. The only problem was that the tank would be very heavy. There was no way she'd be able to get it home without help. She'd have to have at least one, if not both of the boys help her get him settled in. That was a whole other plan to be made.

The three sat in silence for a while, simply enjoying each other's company. Violet and Sal had finally found a comfortable position to sit in. Larry laid his head back and stared up at the ceiling with a peaceful expression on his face. Everything was soothingly quiet. Only the faint sound of the filter in Hot Sauce's tank humming filled their ears. It caused their eyelids to grow rather heavy.

Violet allowed her head to drop onto Sal's shoulder, desperate for just a few moments of sleep. His muscled tightened, but only for a few seconds before they relaxed again. He let out a content sigh. It was nice not to feel violently uncomfortable in moments like this anymore. It was almost relieving to feel Violet's body against his. Like it was filling a hole in his heart that he didn't know was there. Even when he thought about them holding hands or cuddling, he no longer got flustered or anxious. He wanted more and more of it.

Ever since Sal allowed Violet to touch his face, his feelings toward her changed. Sure, he thought she was very pretty and had a personality worth dying for. But it was different now. When he envisioned himself in his own home some day, she was right there with him. At night, he longed to have her sleeping beside him, curled up into his side just the way she liked. He thought about her every moment they were apart. He wasn't sure if this was love or if it was just a major crush. Of course, he's had crushes in the past, but none of them felt like this.

One similarity between Sal's experiences with crushes is that they all had the same dreadful sense of hopelessness. Girls tended to steer away from him, including the ones he developed feelings for, leaving him to admire them from afar. Deep down, he knew that these girls were far beyond his reach. It hurt. It hurt him a lot. But Violet didn't make him feel hopeless. She didn't feel out of reach. For once, Sal felt like he'd met someone who would give him a chance. He wasn't going to let this opportunity pass him.

So, he reached for her hand, which rested on her thigh, and took it in his own. He rubbed gentle circles on her skin with his thumb, taking in how soft it was. It wasn't long after this that Violet's breathing grew slow and heavy. She was asleep.

If it weren't for that stupid prosthetic in the way, he just might have kissed her hand that night.