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Ze was going to rip his hair out if this continued, to put it simply. He was going to grow gray hairs and then he was going to go bald. And it was all Regect’s fault.
Now, for the longer explanation, Regect was pissier than ever this week. Everything annoying and terrible about him was on heightened volume, he was ruder, more aggressive, he was being harsher in the way he'd suddenly snap. And Ze was on the receiving end of all of this, not including his normal attitude and behaviors—which Ze already couldn't stand. This was far worse, and Ze was tired of it.
And yet, despite the fact he was angrier than ever at the entity, he was at the least neutrally concerned when he came home to find the latter uncharacteristically curled up on the couch.
Ze clicked the door shut behind him and slowly approached the sofa, his arms crossed under his chest. He raised an eyebrow, and before he could ask what was wrong, he earned a sharp, “What?” From Regect. Who didn't bother to move or even tilt towards Ze, his knees glued to his chest.
Ze huffed. “Well, I was going to ask you what was wrong.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. Ze wanted so badly just to punch him. It would be so much easier than talking to him. “But fine, forget it.” He grumbled, shoving his hand down into his pocket to refrain from doing so, and nearing the kitchen.
He could hear Regect shuffling around on the couch, and he could hear faint winces from whatever was the cause of Regect's behavior.
Ze bit his lip, roughly. Enough to draw blood. Because despite his frustrations, he felt bad. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, hoping that the sensation would override whatever sympathy he was feeling. They shot open and then he searched furiously in the kitchen drawers for anything that could subside pain.
He grabbed the first bottle he found and turned on his heel to waste no time getting back to the living room. The faster he got this over with, the faster he could go back to being upset. He tossed the medicine at Regect’s lap, eyes narrowed with irritation.
Regect slowly unraveled himself, one of his claws grabbed the bottle to read its contents. Then he laid back down without opening it. “...Already took some.” He mumbled, keeping an arm wrapped around his hips.
Ze wondered if he'd rather Regect go back to lashing out than sound so strange and unusually passive.
Ze still hadn't left, in fact, Ze sat on the couch. Not directly beside him, he'd probably get whatever weird disease Regect had at the moment. He wasn't going to risk getting an illness from Regect. But he was eyeing him curiously, contemplating whether or not to ask again. And apparently Regect was looking at him, too. “...'M Cramping. On my period.” He hissed out quietly, and he moved away from the protagonist whenever he admitted such.
Oh.
Ze recalled him saying something about that before, actually. He swallowed. “I thought that was a joke.” He explained, trying to ease up some of his own embarrassment and erase the heat crawling up his neck.
Regect grunted in reply.
“Have you asked Moe if she has anything for cramps?”
“Moe isn't here…” He grumbled.
Ze nodded. “Right…uh… we have chocolate?” Ze offered. He was sweating out of his ass right now. This was somewhat uncharted territory. Sure, Moe had her period, but she's never been one with the couch because her cramps were so bad. To be honest, she only ever mildly complained about her cramps. And what exactly was he supposed to do when someone he hated was on their period?
Literally the only thing Ze could offer at the moment was chocolate.
Regect took a long while to respond. Almost like he was wary. “Yeah.”
So, Ze got up, destroyed their kitchen trying to find the candy, ran upstairs to retrieve an extra pillow, and returned to the sofa like a knight returning to their majesty.
This was awkward. And about the nicest he's ever been to the entity.
Regect placed the pillow in-between his stomach and his legs, and held the chocolate in both hands.
Usually, Moe heats up some stuffed toy of hers and sets it in her lap. But Ze didn't really have any plushies lying meanlessly around anywhere, and the thought of using Moe’s belongings without permission didn't sit comfortably. The pillow was a little big, but maybe he could fit it into the microwave? It might catch on fire, though. And then set the house on fire. Regect probably couldn't use a burning house to relax his cramps at all.
Not that Ze cared, he was just aggravated that Regect was being such a dick. So if giving him a little bit of pity meant he'd stop acting so bitchy and Ze could shoot him in the chest without the unfortunalities of feeling like a jerk, then so be it.
Eventually, Ze was knocked out of his consideration by a crushed up candy wrapper hitting his cheek. “I hate you.” Ze sighed. If he didn't get gray hairs, he was going to get wrinkles from all the scrunching his face does in anger. He re-crumbled the empty wrapper and threw it back at Regect. Hitting him in his non-existent face.
Regect grabbed the wrapper before it tumbled back onto the couch and got on his knees to collide the trash with Ze’s shoulder. “Ew, you're such a...” Ze scowled and trailed off, he snagged Regect's arm and rammed it into the couch so he could take the garbage from him. He pressed it into the entity’s chest.
There were a few very childish insults thrown around, and a lot of incoherent, rude words and subtle laughing from Regect over Ze’s own protests.
In the middle of his protesting and Regect's tackling, which was really more just crawling on top of him and knocking him down until he had to prop himself up with one of his elbows, the empty chocolate had been thrown around so much between the two that it was eventually lost to the floor.
There was a singular beat of silence before Regect flopped himself on Ze, going completely limp.
Ze groaned with dissatisfaction. “You're such a jackass, I'm trying to be nice, trying to help.” Ze barged his hands against Regect’s shoulders, trying to get the other to slide off of him and onto the floor where he belonged. He didn't budge, instead, he flipped over on his tummy and wrapped his hands around the protagonist.
Ze felt himself shudder as cold claws trickled across his back, the hair on his arms standing up from the temperature. “You're freezing, get off.” Ze meant it as a resentful complaint, so when it came out softer than he intended, he had to make sure he looked discontent.
Not that it mattered, because Regect wasn't looking at his face. His invisible head was tucked into him and he had only let go of Ze so he could sneak his arms under the protagonist’s jacket rather than over it. Ze didn't bother moving, he only let out an exasperated, “That's even worse.” Because the sheer chill his skin soaked in through his shirt made his teeth want to chatter.
“Shut up, you said you’re trying to help, right?” Regect’s voice was muffled through fabric. He scooted himself closer. “You're warm as fuck, man.”
Ze laid entirely still before it dawned on him. The furrow in his brows stopped his eyes from widening. “You're using me as a heat pack?!” He shouted in offense, forcefully pushing himself up. Regect grunted again, finally unlinking himself from the latter. “Fine, okay, I'll get off.” But just as both of his arms stood on either side of Ze, he was shoved back down.
Ze rolled his eyes. “Forget it.” He squinted when the entity refused to relax like he had been before. “I am trying to help, because I'm tired of dealing with your moody ass.” Ze crossed his arms over Regect’s back now, mirroring how he had done to Ze, and made him lay down on top of him.
“You're moody all the time and I gotta deal with you, what's your problem?” Regect nudged Ze’s shoulder with his fist.
Ze exhaled and closed his eyes. “I'm not doing this.”
Regect hummed, the rhythm laced with something teasing. He returned to his initial position, aside from being closer this time. He was like a very determined leech. Ze shivered again upon the contact of his claws. There was a blanket folded atop the couch, so he removed a hand from holding Regect and tugged the blanket down until it draped over the entity.
Eventually they were both contributing to their…extensive hug. Ze’s leg wrapped around one of Regect's, and the entity himself now had his breath hitting Ze’s neck. “You need a mint.” Ze turned his head away, fighting back a yawn. “You need a shower.” Regect murmured. “I don't breathe out of my mouth anyways, liar.” He now pressed his head under Ze’s chin with a triumphant, half-laugh. Ze used the side of his face to move Regect’s out from under him. “Maybe you just stink then.”
Albeit the stupid comments and meaningless arguing, Regect wasn't wincing or curled up in pain anymore.