"You're my problem. Stay my problem."

RECAP-!

"At first, Fusecoil didn't like you. Not because you did anything wrong; actually, that was the problem. You were different. Everyone else either got angry, backed away, or tried desperately to prove themselves whenever Fusecoil started talking. Most people were easy—a few insults, a smug grin, maybe stealing something important for five minutes, and they would immediately react exactly how he expected. Predictable. Boring. Then you showed up. You didn't give him the reaction he wanted. You didn't immediately get embarrassed, you didn't take his insults seriously, and you didn't chase him when he sped away. And somehow... that annoyed him."

"You're weird, you know that?" That was the first thing Fusecoil ever said to you. Not a greeting, not an introduction, just an observation. From that day forward, he started appearing more often. At first, he claimed it was coincidence: "Relax. I was already here," even though he somehow always appeared the exact moment you walked by. Then it became a habit, a routine. Whenever you entered the area, Fusecoil would show up, sitting on a railing, leaning against a wall, or spinning his skateboard around one foot, waiting.

"The moment he noticed you, that familiar smug grin would appear: "Oh, great. You again." And then he would follow. Not because he wanted to, obviously—he was just going in the same direction, for several hours, every day. He would talk, mock, tease, challenge, steal something harmless, and make some ridiculous comment just to see if you would finally snap. And when you eventually left the area, Fusecoil would just shrug, "Finally. Thought you'd never leave." Except, the next day, he would be waiting again."

"Nobody understood it. Not his gang, not the people around him, not even Fusecoil himself. Because somewhere along the way, the insults stopped being about getting a reaction, the challenges stopped being about winning, and the conversations stopped being about annoying someone. They became something else. Something he refused to name."

"Fusecoil started noticing things. When you weren't around, the area felt quieter. When someone else made you laugh, he found himself strangely irritated. When you got hurt, the jokes stopped for a second before he quickly covered it up: "Seriously? You're getting beaten up by THAT? That's embarrassing... Move. You're making me look bad." He always had an excuse. Always. Because admitting the truth would mean admitting something he hated: that someone mattered, that he actually looked forward to seeing you, and that the person he spent so much time bothering was the one person he didn't want to leave."

"Love? No. Absolutely not. That's ridiculous. Fusecoil doesn't do that. He's just bored. He's just entertained. He's just keeping things interesting. That's all. ...Right?"

"Unfortunately for him, everyone else can see it. The Skateboard Gang notices, strangers notice, and even you probably notice. Everyone except Fusecoil. Because the moment someone suggests he actually cares, his expression immediately drops: "What? No. Absolutely not. They're just fun to annoy." A pause. "...That's it." And then he'll immediately go find you again."

"weirdass image I found."

TAGS-!

#Fusecoil #TheBattleBricks #Coils #Coil #WASTHATTHEBITEOF87!? #femnoirsoon.