Complete 18+ Private Don't Wanna Be Your Friend

[Yugam]

"Who knows, maybe they knocked each other out?"
"I feel like there'd be a couple bodies lying around though, right?" the man pointed out. A quick look around the space revealed that there was, in fact, no unconscious bodies lying on the floor. "Oh, maybe they got kidnapped!" Ari suggested dramatically, lifting his hands and wiggling his fingers.
"Maybe they're chatting with Ronja?" Ah, Valeria, the voice of reason.
"Or that, yeah."
"Although I think Dee looked a bit tired today, so maybe she did pass out early for once?"
Though Ari didn't show it, a small pang of guilt went through him. Apparently Dayeon's change in demeanor hadn't gone entirely unnoticed. And that was his fault. "Yeah, maybe," the man replied, leaving it at that.

"Well, I guess that means we got the place to ourselves anyways," Ari said, looking around the empty house. "Do you wanna watch a movie or somethin'?"

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Truuueee… not to mention there isn’t a path of destruction leading to their unconscious bodies."

There were no broken vases, no upturned chairs or cushions haphazardly strewn around either… not to mention that Valeria was pretty sure the house would’ve been set ablaze had those two decided to fight for whatever reason. "Oh, maybe they got kidnapped!" It was then that Ari had a wild idea, the girl giggling in response as the man lifted his hands and wiggled his fingers for a dramatic emphasis.

"In that case they’ll be back before midnight for sure, no way a kidnapper would keep them more than a couple of hours tops before regretting their life choices."

She was none the wiser to the small pang of guilt that flooded the man momentarily, unable to sense emotions in the real world unlike her Yladian avatar within the game. Whatever the case it seemed like they had a moment of peace and quiet to themselves for the time being, a rarity throughout the trip, and an opportunity the blonde wasn’t keen on wasting… and it seemed like Ari was on the same page as her about this.

"Do you wanna watch a movie or somethin'?"
"Yeah, that sounds nice. Had anything in mind?"

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"...no way a kidnapper would keep them more than a couple of hours tops before regretting their life choices."
Ari started laughing, the truth of the statement undeniable in the man's mind. "Yeah, no kidding," he agreed.

"Yeah, that sounds nice. Had anything in mind?"
"Not really. Do you wanna look for something while I make some popcorn?" Ari offered. With Valeria's agreement the man went to the pantry and pulled out a bag of popcorn and threw it into the microwave. Next, going over to the cabinets, the man pulled out a couple of bowls before looking back at Val. "Want anything to drink? We still got that bottle of wine we could sip at," he suggested. After all, they'd only had a couple of glasses, and they couldn't let it go to waste. If nothing else they could share it with the girls tomorrow though.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Mhmm, I can take a look and see what’s on."

She’d agreed to the proposed plan without actually thinking it over much, the blonde heading over to the couch and plopping down after picking up the controller. A few clicks soon had the tv powered on, silently browsing over the available options while cradling one of the cushions against her chest. On paper this sounded like an easy task, pick something to watch—anything really—and just go with it… except there was one tiny problem.

Val wasn’t sure when was the last time she’d actually sat down to watch anything on tv that wasn’t an anime series or movie. "Want anything to drink? We still got that bottle of wine we could sip at." His voice called out from the kitchen, accompanied by the popping sounds of kernels in the microwave as the scent of popcorn slowly crept into the living room.

"Uuuh, y-yeah… the wine sounds good!" An unmistakable beeping sound soon echoed as the microwave finished its task, the sound of the door opening catching her attention as the girl began to panic a bit—she had yet to choose anything front he available options, a lot of which that Val didn’t even recognized past a fleeting memory of a trailer or two.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"Uuuh, y-yeah… the wine sounds good!"

Grabbing two more wine glasses the man poured out the wine into the glasses, before going over to the microwave and pulling out the popcorn. Ari opened up the bag and filled both bowls with the buttery snacks. The man brought the two wine glasses over to Val first, before going back to the kitchen and grabbing the bowls of popcorn. Handing Val's bowl to her first. "There's still some left if you want more," Ari said as he sat down beside Valeria, sinking back into the couch.

"So what're we gonna watch?" the man asked, popping a few kernels into his mouth. There options in New York had been rather limited, just whatever the hotel had had available at the time, so who knew what she'd pick now with all of cable television in the palm of her hand.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Thanks~" Her hand reached over for the glasses of red, a happy smile on her lips as she thanked Ari for the wine before taking a sip of her own. "There's still some left if you want more."

"There shouldn’t be much left though, right?" They’d had two glasses up on the grassy hill and now two more… if her memory wasn’t failing her there should be a glass’ worth left, maybe two if they were lucky. "Mmm, we can finish it later."

The girl was careful with her movements as she set two coasters atop the coffee table, resting both their glasses atop one each, just as she heard the microwave door close and the sound of popcorn being shaken out into two bowls. Her attention turned back to the ample choices available in the TV, from regular cable to provided subscription services that had been included with the AirBnB.

"So what're we gonna watch?" She’d been half tempted to give regular shows a try, but they were all things that Val didn’t recognize or simply hadn’t caught her attention in the past. As the man returned, passing her a bowl of popcorn before sinking into the couch beside her, the blonde had been about to give a shrug and ask Ari for ideas—and that’s when she saw it.

"No way, they have it here!" Excitement quickly overrode the previous light frown she'd worn while deep in thought, no hesitation found as she selected the movie. "I’ve been dying to see this for what feels like ages now~"

In the end she was a little weeb at heart… though that knowledge shouldn’t be a surprise to Ari by now.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"There shouldn't be much left though, right?"
"Nope," Ari shook his head, "just a couple glasses and maybe enough popcorn for one more bowl." So enough to get them through a movie if they were still craving snacks or a drink after they'd finished with what they already had.

"No way, they have it here!" Valeria exclaimed as she scrolled onto a familiar movie cover. "Oh, I've never actually seen it before," Ari said as shifted slightly in his seat to make himself more comfortable."I've been dying to see this for what feels like ages now~"
"Put it on then, I've been meaning to see it too," the man said with a slight grin, amused by Valeria's excitement.

Ari pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking it once to see if he had messages from either Nico or Dayeon explaining where either of them were. No luck though, so Ari dimmed the screen and set his phone down on the coffee table before leaning back into the couch again.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

A glance was given to her phone as the blonde made sure it was on vibrate, before Valeria shifted forwards and set the device atop the coffee table—face down so any alerts or notifications that might light up the screen didn’t distract them from the movie. She reached then for her glass, taking another sip of its contents before placing it onto its coaster again as the girl leaned back into the couch.

"Put it on then, I've been meaning to see it too."
"I’ve heard it’s pretty good, and RADWIMPS always delivers with their music."

Her own small bowl of popcorn resting in her lap as Valeria got comfortable, a few clicks on the remote control caused the familiar TOHO intro to display on the television. The girl took a moment or two to check the settings and volume before the controller was placed on the armrest at her side, scooting closer to Ari until their arms pressed softly against each other as the blonde made herself comfortable.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"Oh, c'mon!" Ari almost shouted, leaning forward in the chair as the two characters on screen walked past each other, pretending not to recognize each other. Finally, one called to the other and they both stopped. "Oh thank God," the man sighed in relief as he sank back into his seat.
"I was straight up about to throw the remote through the TV," Ari said with a chuckle as he looked over at Valeria.
"...Wait..." Ari leaned in closer towards Valeria with a mischievous grin on his face. "Wait, are you actually crying?" the man asked the girl, who was clutching a pillow with watery eyes.
"N-Nooooou...!" Her voice trailed off as the girl clutched the pillow tighter to herself, her face mostly covered now as her eyes avoided Ari's stare. Ari chuckled quietly as he tugged at the edge of the pillow, trying to get Val to look at him. "Yes you are, c'mon admit it," he teased.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She had heard amazing things about this movie, even had various of the RADWIMPS songs in her Spotify list of Liked Songs, and yet somehow she’d never found the time to sit down and watch it properly. Overall it had taken Val through a rollercoaster of emotions, from intrigue and curiosity to surprised gasps as the full scope of the story was slowly revealed.

"Oh, c'mon!"

As Ari leaned forward on the couch the girl pulled the cushion tighter to her chest, the man having voiced out the same frustration she had been feeling for the last few minutes as the characters kept missing one another again and again. ”Oh no, she recognized him but Taki didn—no, wait, he did! Turn around, turn arouuund!” Pursed lips formed a frustrated pout on her face, her eyes watering up time and time again as the blonde became invested in the plot.

"Oh thank God," The girl finally released a breath she’d been holding on to without realizing it, relief washing over her as the movie finally gave them the happy ending they’d been wishing for. A soft chuckle escaped her lips at Ari’s comment, a hand reaching to wipe away a tear at the corner of her eye, when she felt the man beside her shift closer. "... Wait..."

"W-What…?" The first thing she’d noticed was the mischievous grin on his face as he got closer, causing the girl to instinctively pull back as she pressed herself against the back of the couch. "Wait, are you actually crying?"

"N-Nooooou...!" Her voice quickly peppered off when the blonde pulled the cushion higher onto her face, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment as Val tried to avoid the man’s gaze. She felt him tug at the edge of her pillow, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips before he teased her further. "I j-just… okay, f-fine, but only a lil’ bit!"

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"I j-just… okay, f-fine, but only a lil' bit!"
"Ha!" Ari cheered with a broad smile, yet still not backing down. "I win," the man, impish eyes remaining locked on Valeria's as the credits began to roll on the screen. The man seemed to linger there for a moment, just inches away from Valeria as his eyes wandered over her features. Almost as if he were studying her, committing her the moment to his memory, just in case there wouldn't be another like it.

"That was pretty good," Ari said suddenly as he sat back down in his seat, grabbing his phone to check the time. "Geez, where the hell did those two go?" he wondered, "I figured we woulda heard somethin' from 'em by now, whether they went out or not." At the very least, he'd expected Nico to make some sort of an appearance, to harass him about how things had gone. And yet, not a peep. Maybe he needed to start worrying? Nah. Anyone who fucked with Nico would have their kneecaps busted within five minutes.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"Ha! I win."
"It’s not a contest—!"

The girl had finally turned her gaze to look back at Ari as the man proclaimed his victory, fully intending on arguing this so-called win of his, before her voice caught in her throat as Valeria realized just how close their faces were to one another. Although the cushion had been lowered enough so she could speak it still remained held tightly against her chest, her eyes silently tracing over the features of his face for just a moment longer before the man suddenly moved away from her, the man grabbing his phone from the coffee table before sitting back down on the couch.

"Geez, where the hell did those two go?"
"It’s p-probably fine, plus they know where the spare house key is."

Val tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, the girl clearing her throat lightly before speaking before her hand reached for the half eaten bowl of popcorn. It had been shoved into the corner of the sofa halfway through the movie, forgotten as the girl had been entranced by the story, before she carefully placed it atop the coffee table.

"Besides if they’d gotten into trouble we’d probably heard about it by now—but there hasn’t been a live emergency broadcast yet so…"

Unusual as it was the blonde wasn’t too worried, it was possible Dayeon might’ve decided to sleep early tonight—and while Nico was quite the gremlin even the pinkett had shown to possess some tack… there was a light possibility she might’ve just been keeping out of their hair for the night.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"It's p-probably fine, plus they know where the spare house key is," Valeria said, as she tucked her hair behind her ear and moved her bowl of half-eaten popcorn to the table. "Besides if they'd gotten into trouble we'd probably heard about it by now—but there hasn't been a live emergency broadcast yet so…"
"That is true," Ari chuckled in response. "You're probably right, I'm sure there fine," the man said as he stood up, grabbing the wine glasses and stacking the bowls of popcorn to take to the counter. "It's getting pretty late anyways." the man said as he dumped the extra popcorn into the trash and began to run through the glasses. "You wanna turn in for the night? I'm sure we'll see 'em in the morning." Certainly the smell of cooking bacon and eggs would lure the two girls out of whatever hiding spot they were holed up in.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"You're probably right, I'm sure they're fine." A light chuckle left the man as he stood, stacking the bowls of popcorn together before the man took them and the now empty wine glasses back into the kitchen before Valeria could offer to help. "If anything we should be concerned for the inhabitants of Maui with those two out there on the loose."

Valeria reached for her own phone, a quick check on the screen showing she had zero notifications from their friends—or any island emergency broadcasts—before the blonde followed Ari and sat on one of the stools by the kitchen island. She watched as the man tossed away the remaining popcorn and turned towards the sink, before his comment about how late it was getting caused the girl to look back at her phone screen.

Time could truly fly when you were having fun.

"You wanna turn in for the night?” There was a moment of hesitation as the question was presented, the blonde finding herself a bit unwilling to accept the end of the day. While she had enjoyed the time in Hawaii with everyone it had been quite rare that she’d been able to enjoy some one-on-one time with Ari throughout the trip… but what else was there to do? "Yeah, I guess we should…"

It was easy to tell that her voice lacked its usual enthusiasm, the words quietly trailing off into a moment of silence as the girl fidgeted with the phone in her hands—until a thought popped into the forefront of her mind.

"H-Hey, Ari…" A light rosy hue colored her cheeks as her voice faltered, her eyes averting away when the man turned to look at her. It’s not like her request was anything new for them, so why was her heart suddenly beating so fast in her chest? "... can I s-sleep in your room?"

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"Yeah, I guess we should…" the girl replied, sounding less enthused than she was before. Ari put away the dishes, the ceramic softly clattering. It had been a long day, a long week, really, but even then the pair had had little time to themselves. It was a shame to cut it short, but they'd need to sleep eventually. All good things have to come to and end. "H-Hey, Ari…" Val said suddenly, drawing the man's gaze. She looked away from him, rosy-cheeked, as she spoke quietly. "... can I s-sleep in your room?"

Ari looked back at Val with a soft smile, memories of nights in New York brought to the forefront of his mind. "Sure, if you'd like," the man replied, winding around the counter and offering her his hand. "You wanna go wash up first or anything?" he asked as he began to gently pull her towards the stairs.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

She wasn’t sure why asking such a simple question had caused her heart to pound so heavily inside her chest, it’s not like they hadn’t shared a room before. In fact they’d fallen asleep next to one another during their very first night in New York, and the habit had persisted in-game shortly after the pair found one another in Camp Hope.

That said things had changed quite a bit since their time in Lübeck. Between the awkwardness that had lingered and the wish to take things slow, to give them a proper try this time around, the two had stopped sharing the same bed. They would still adventure together and stay in-game until late into the night on most occasions, but spending the night deep diving—sleeping in one another’s embrace—had been quietly shelved away for the last few weeks… and the habit had also followed them here, to Hawaii.

"Sure, if you'd like." Her face had practically lit up when the man agreed, amber colored eyes finally turning back to look at Ari and the soft smile on his lips as he rounded the kitchen island to where she sat. "You wanna go wash up first or anything?"

He offered his hand and the girl took it into hers as she stood up from the stool, her fingers gently seeking out the space between his own before giving it a gentle squeeze. "Mhmm! I’ll grab a few things quickly from Nico’s room." The girl’s free hand reached for the phone atop the counter, making sure to not leave it behind, before Val followed when the man began leading them both towards the stairs.

The ecstatic smile on her lips didn’t fade even after they reached the top floor, where the blonde reluctantly let go of Ari’s hand. "Meet you back in a bit." Val’s steps took her in the direction of the room she’d been sharing with the pinkett, carefully opening the door and peering into the dark room. Her phone’s flashlight was turned on to light up her way, not wishing to risk turning on the lights and possibly waking the gremlin if she was asleep in their bed.

With the necessary things in hand the girl quietly exited the room, heading to the single bathroom on the second floor to wash up and brush her teeth. Fifteen minutes later the girl had emerged from the restroom in a pair of tropical pjs, heading for the first door to her right before Val’s knuckles lightly tapped the surface in a soft knock.

"Ari?"

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Val's face had lit up beautifully as soon as Ari had agreed to them sharing a bed again, and he could feel her fingers gently squeeze his hand as he led her up the stairs. "Mhmm! I'll grab a few things quickly from Nico's room," she said, letting go to go grab some things from Nico's room.
"Okay, I'm gonna go brush my teeth and stuff really quick too then," the man said before dipping into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, and Ari was lying down on his bed, scrolling up and down on his phone as he waited for Val to join him, the only light coming from the lamp on the nightstand beside him. The open window allowed a soft breeze into the room, making it pleasantly cool. For some reason, as he sat there the man felt a subtle eagerness building in his chest. It had been a long time since he'd fallen asleep with Valeria in his arms, and he realized now how much he'd come to miss that feeling.

A quite rapping on his door drew the man's attention. "Ari?"
"It's open," the man answered back, turning the phone's screen off and setting it aside.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

"It's open." His voice followed shortly after the girl rapped her knuckles on the door and, sure enough, when she turned the knob it opened without issue. Her head peeked inside first, spotting the man just as he finished placing his phone down on the night table, and a bashful smile pulled at her lips before she spoke. "H-hey~"

The girl finally slipped the rest of the way into the room, gently closing the door behind as she did. It really had been a while since they’d slept in the same bed in-game… and even more since they’d spent time together in New York. She could feel the rapid thumping within her chest, accompanied by an internal bliss that radiated outwards and into her limbs.

She decided to grasp onto that feeling in order to push herself forwards, her steps taking her over to the bed faster than she had intended to, before the girl softly leaped onto the man. A chorus of delighted giggles left her then as the blonde snuggled up against Ari, relishing the feeling and the closeness they could finally share again.

"I missed this," More than she had thought too, and a part of her wished this moment could last forever before the girl quieted it down—no need to ruin things now with useless thoughts. "... I missed you."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"H-hey~"
"Hey," Ari replied, smiling softly at the girl. He'd sat up when he'd heard Val knock on the door, but now as the girl approached the bed with a touch of hesitation, the man slide beneath the sheets and lifted the covers to welcome her. The hesitation disappeared after that as Val practically threw herself into the bed and wrapped her arms around Ari's torso with a series of giggles. "I missed this," she said as Ari pulled the covers over the both of them. "... I missed you."
Ari turned and reached over to turn out the lamp, leaving only the moonlight streaming in through the open window. The man settled back into the bed, one arm tucked behind his head, while the other wrapped itself around Valeria's shoulders. "I missed you too," he said quietly before craning his neck forward to gently kiss Valeria's lips.

@Luthien

 

[Luthien]

He’d lifted the covers as she’d begun to approach, giving the girl the perfect place to dive into as her arms wrapped around the man’s torso. She was instantly transported for the briefest of moments back to that little hotel room in New York and, despite everything that had transpired since that fateful summer week, the girl felt comfortable and at ease as she snuggled against Ari.

The man turned and reached for the still lit lamp, extinguishing its light as the room was plunged to mostly darkness—though she was still able to see him thanks to the moonlight that streamed in through the open window. He settled back down, one arm wrapping around her shoulders, and she sighed contentedly as her own wrapped loosely around his midriff.

"I missed you too."

Those four simple words brought an immense amount of joy to the girl upon hearing them from him, a rosy hue quickly coloring her cheeks that might’ve been hard for Ari to see. It caused her to look upwards at him once more, a giggle on her lips, before her eyes got caught in his own gaze and the proximity they currently shared finally sunk in.

Valeria felt him shift, his arm pulling her just a bit closer as his face neared hers, before the blonde tilted her head up just enough to meet his lips halfway. They had kissed many times before, more than she’d be able to remember or count, and yet this one felt different from all the others. It was soft and tender, comforting and inviting, and like a moth drawn to a flickering flame the girl leaned closer into it.

She’d discovered long ago that she liked kissing… and she certainly loved kissing Ari the most.

@Yugam