A Little Bit More (Open on Request)

[ParamountKeymaster]

In the solitude of his bedroom, in the silence of the late afternoon, Evan twitched slightly, gradually stirred out of his slumber, then slowly opened his eyes.

It took him only a few short seconds to adjust to the light, and soon he found himself staring at the ceiling in confusion. Once his mind had fully awakened, the first thing that occurred to him was that he could breathe. For the first time in days, his nasal passages were clear and his throat didn't feel completely raw, a discovery that he gratefully acknowledged with a long sigh of sweet, sweet relief.

Curious and cautious, Evan raised a hand and gingerly touched his forehead. Completely smooth. No blemishes, no extra eyes, not even a telltale sign that they existed in the first place. The revelation brought a smile to his face, prompting him to run his tongue along his upper teeth and discover, much to his elation, that his canines had been reduced to their normal length and his lost incisors had been fully replaced. He ran his hand down his face, finding that while his facial hair hadn't vanished entirely, it had been reduced to little more than a short razor stubble that evenly, consistently covered his chin... s...

Oh... Right...

His joy quickly dissipated when it occurred to Evan that he might've been cured of his phobiosis and rid of his spider traits, but he still wasn't back to normal. His expression turned to one of dread as the memories of what had happened to him prior to his brief coma came flooding back. The feeling of his body swelling, the image of his enlarged frame... and, as he was slowly starting to notice, the realization that he felt heavier than normal.

With a hard gulp, Evan held his hand up in front of his face, clenching up at the sight of his thick fingers and husky arm.

He propped himself up slightly and looked down at himself, immediately falling flat on his back again with a disconcerted groan.

Yep. Still fat.

Evan continued to emit a long whine as he covered his face with his hand. To think he had been so close to freedom from his bodily torment, so close to being himself again, only to find himself in another incongruous state. "Frustrated" was an understatement. Evan felt nothing less than aggravated, not to mention repugnant. Why did he keep turning into the most humiliating things he could think of? How much longer would he have to put up with this? How long would he be stuck as a giant, overgrown mass of...?!

Okay... Okay, positives. Think of the positives.

With a deep breath, Evan reached down and felt his side just beneath his armpit, confirming once and for all that his extra arms had vanished entirely. At least his spider features were gone. At least he was fully human again and restored to full health. He wanted to be happy about that, he really did, but it was so hard to find comfort in the loss of his extra arms with his hand gripping at the flab that had taken their place.

Noticing something else, Evan begrudgingly forced himself to sit up again and take a good look at himself. His sleep top had already been in a sorry state, the sides having been ripped slightly to give way for his four additional arms, but sure enough, his rapid expansion had practically ripped the tee to shreds. His boxers weren't faring much better, the seams completely split while the waistband was stretched thin and uncomfortably tight; it was amazing they were still clinging to him at all.

He had just been about to question how he was supposed to cover this blimp of a body when he noticed the clothes neatly folded at the foot of his bed. Clothes that had most definitely not been there prior to his rest and recovery. Taken aback and slightly nervous, Evan slowly stood up, pausing to ensure that he was able to balance himself, then walked down to the other end of the bed and picked up the note sitting atop his newfound attire.

Hopefully you won't need these, but in case you wake up before Swift returns with a cure, might as well make yourself comfortable.
<3 J

Somewhat unconsciously, Evan let out a sigh. So Swift was getting another cure from Rainflower. Not surprising and certainly worth his appreciation, but when he checked the clock and discovered, much to his dismay, that it was a little after five PM, it made him wonder what in the world could've happened to make Rainflower that difficult to find. And that just got him worrying again about how long he would be trapped in this form.

Well... as long as he was stuck like this, he figured he might as well accept his sister's charity.

Hastily, albeit dejectedly, Evan removed the scraps of fabric he had on, flinching at the sight of his exposed paunch before picking up the plain white shirt Jen had bought for him. Just at a glance, it looked absolutely huge, and he couldn't help but grimace at the sight of the 5XL on the tag. He had to ask himself just how big these people thought he was, and yet when he put the shirt on, he was simultaneously relieved and mortified to discover that it fit perfectly. Yes, it was nice to have... all of that covered, but geez...

His attitude didn't improve when he grabbed the pants and found himself gawking at their enormous waistline, gazing into the wide-open garment like he was staring down a loaded cannon. Were these pants or a child's sleeping bag?? The portion of his brain that was still in disbelief briefly wondered if anyone could fit into these things... then he looked at himself and sadly concluded... yeah, probably. And sure enough, upon stepping into the trousers, much like the shirt, they settled around his form entirely and comfortably. He wasn't sure what stung worse, that the oversized garments fit him, or that he fit them.

Again, Evan did his best to think of the positives. It certainly felt good to be on his feet again, free of the exhaustion, stuffy head and arachnid attributes he had the day before. And despite his new attire's ridiculous size, he at least felt a little bit of relief to have his body thoroughly covered.

"Uuuuuuuuugggggghhhhhh..."

But... God, that stomach... It was almost nauseating to look at with his mind still desperately attempting to reject the notion that it was his. After staring down at his bloated form for a good twenty seconds, a pathetic whimper escaping his throat all the while, Evan tightly closed his eyes and gripped his flaccid gut from each side, gagging slightly at the sensation. Making this comparison in his head just made him feel that much worse, but there was really no other way to describe it than as something akin to clutching a giant sack of pudding.

Right about that time, there was a knock on the door.

"Evan?"

After jumping slightly at the sudden muffled noise and noticing the door starting to crack open, Evan promptly rushed over, slammed the door shut again, and pressed himself against it in a fit of panic. "DON'T COME IN HERE!"

He could almost sense Jen recoiling from his abrupt reaction, following this up with a deep breath. "Oh, good, you're awake. A-Are you alright?"

"Uhhhh..." Evan wasn't sure how to respond to that. His first thought was a profound NO, but he didn't want to get the wrong idea across.

"I-I mean are you at least... fully human again? Spider traits are gone?"

Evan was silent for a moment, leaning with his back to the door, slumping a little as he once again stared at himself solemnly. If there was any hope to be had, he figured he may as well offer it. "Yeah, spider traits are gone..."

The smile was evident in Jen's voice. "Well, that's good."

"Mm-hmm..."

"Um, what about the clothes? Do you think they'll work? I-I went a little over what I thought you might need. Didn't wanna get something too tight."

"Uh, yeah, actually... The clothes fit fine. Thanks."

"No problem. Can, uh... Can I come in?"

"I'd... prefer if you didn't..."

Jen let out a tiny, sympathetic chuckle. "Evan, it's okay. I already know what you look like. You have nothing to hide from me."

"............" Sure, it had been obvious since he found his current attire that Jen had already seen him in his present form, but that didn't make him any more comfortable with the prospect of being gawked at, even by his sister. But at the same time, he wasn't too keen on the idea of suffering through this alone, and he certainly didn't want to worry her...

"O-Okay, just... just gimme a moment. I'm... not decent yet."

"Heh... Alright." Out in the hallway, Jen folded her arms and patiently waited for Evan to make himself presentable, whatever that entailed. In all fairness, she couldn't blame him for feeling embarrassed. This was a very dramatic change for him, one with a lot of negative connotations. She just didn't want to see him isolate himself because of it. She wanted to believe he'd be back to normal soon, but if push came to shove, he needed to know that she was there for him regardless of his appearance.

"Okay... come on in..."

At that, Jen opened the door and stepped inside, letting out a stiff laugh and shaking her head when she saw that Evan had buried himself beneath his bed covers. "Evan, come on. It's okay."

"It's not okay, Jen..." Evan muttered sadly. "It's weird and kinda gross."

Though Evan couldn't see it, Jen offered him a comforting smirk as she approached his bedside. "Well, just so ya know, I was planning on taking those sheets. Figured they could use a wash since you were lying sick in them for three days."

Evan sighed and curled inward slightly. "You don't have to do that, Jen..."

"Oh, would you rather take them down to the laundry roo-?"

"NO!!! NO NO NO NO NO!!!"

Again, Jen had to chuckle. "Evan, you really need to relax. Like I said, I already got a good look at you while you were asleep. You have nothing to hide. You, Carter and I are the only ones here right now. And even if we weren't, no one who lives in this apartment is gonna make fun of you just because you put on a little weight."

"A little?"

"You know what I mean."

"It's..." After a slight pause, knowing she was going to keep hounding him about it, simply wanting to get it over with, Evan stiffly forced himself to throw the covers off and look up at his sister. "I'm not scared of people making fun of me, Jen. ......Well, okay, I am, but it's more a matter of people staring at me."

"You didn't seem to mind so much when you were sick and half spider." Jen smiled and shrugged, looking more relieved by her brother's lack of extra arms –and possibly the fact that the clothes she bought him were a perfect fit– than she was surprised by the extra padding. "At least now, by human standards, you look somewhat normal."

"And that actually makes it kinda worse!" Evan responded, sitting upright. "That whole ordeal with me being a spider... that was cause for alarm. I put up with the awkward looks because we were trying to figure out what was wrong with me. But this?! This is the kind of thing that gets turned into viral videos and creepy fetish pictures on DeviantArt!"

Jen put a hand on her hip and tilted her head, her typical teasing posture. "Really? Do you honestly think that being stuck like this for... what, one day, two days tops... is gonna ruin you completely? You think that maybe you're blowing this whole thing out of proportion just a little?"

Evan narrowed his eyes. "You think that maybe you should rephrase that?"

"Evan, listen..." Jen placed her free hand on Evan's shoulder, oblivious to how uncomfortable the contact seemed to make him. "You're gonna be fine, alright? Swift and the others are out looking for Rainflower right now so they can get you a cure. Until then, you can just hang out here for a little while longer. No one else has to see you. No one else has to know."

His expression softened slightly as he took this in. While he wasn't a fan of being cooped up in the apartment, it was certainly better than the alternative. He was ashamed enough just being in the presence of his sister, but it wasn't like he HAD to subject himself to the public eye and further embarrassment. At least not at that given moment.

"And hey, at least you're healthy again! At least you can lounge comfortably until this all blows over."

"I guess..." Evan took a deep breath and stood up, shooting Jen a sad, anxious look. "But how long will that take? I can't pretend to know how their search is going, but given they've apparently been down there looking all day, what if it's not that simple? What if Rainflower's just up and vanished off the face of the island? A-Am I just supposed to live like this?"

"Well, given that this is Rainflower we're talking about, I doubt it'll take as long as you're insisting. Even when we start dimension-hopping, we can't seem to keep them off our backs, can we? And even if this spontaneous disappearance means that we won't be seeing them for a while, it's not the end all be all. There are alternative solutions to your problem."

"Like...?"

"For one, I'm sure someone else out there can whip up a miracle weight loss formula. And if not, I know you're no stranger to the gym, and I'm more than willing to teach you the ins and outs of a clean diet."

Evan scowled again. "Jen, this is a magic-induced physical alteration beyond my control. You really think general diet and exercise are gonna get rid of all of THIS??"

"Maybe not all at once, but you never know," Jen mumbled off to the side, doing her best to remain optimistic in spite of her brother's sour attitude. "But right now, what matters is that we're doing what we can to ensure you're turned back to normal. The last thing any of us wants is to see you suffer, physically or emotionally. So in the meantime... you think you could try to stay positive for your friends' sake?"

Evan turned away slightly and ran a hand through his hair. In all honesty, he wanted to be positive. Part of him always felt selfish whenever he threw himself these pity parties, even in situations others might find at least semi-justifiable. It was just hard to look on the bright side when he felt this awkwardly, uncomfortably... huge. The lingering question of how long he would be like this terrified him, knowing that he couldn't stay locked up forever. And the thought that his friends were running around for hours on a wild goose chase for his sake didn't exactly make him feel any less shallow.

But... the fact that they were doing it at all... he had to appreciate that, at least.

"Yeah..." he eventually sighed. "Guess there's no sense in complaining until there's... something worth complaining about."

"There are worse things to be, after all," Jen offered. "I know I'm happy that you're still human."

"Mm-hmm..."

"You want a hug?"

Evan just raised an eyebrow and took a step back. "Not really, but... thanks."

"Anytime." Unfazed, Jen leaned over and started removing the sheets from Evan's bed. "If you're alright holding down the fort, I'm just gonna take these down to the laundry room and let Carter out. You need anything in the meantime?"

"I... don't think so. At least nothing that I can think of right n-"

Evan's eyes widened as he was soundly cut off by a deep, hollow rumbling emanating from that oversized gut of his. When Jen looked over her shoulder with a questioning stare, Evan, red-faced and humiliated, turned around, closed his eyes, and leaned his head against the wall with a heavy thunk, his voice little more than a shrill whimper. "Sorry..."

Jen couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Evan, it's okay! You barely ate yesterday and have been sleeping all day today. There's no shame in being hungry."

Evan pursed his lips and squinted his eyes, his forehead still firmly planted against the wall, silently disagreeing.

"Supper won't be ready for a little while, but there's some lunch meat and cheese in the fridge if you wanna make a sandwich to hold you over."

"Yeah, that... sounds good, I guess," Evan sighed, glancing back at Jen out of the corner of his eye without changing his position.

"Not sure about the others, but Darien should be back in a few minutes. If you and he wanna eat while I'm out, feel free. I'll be back in a bit!" Jen then balled up the sheets in her arms and started carrying them out, pausing in the doorway to cast her brother a smile. "And Evan?"

"Mm...?"

"I'll give you this much: You're looking better than you were yesterday."

"........."

Evan said nothing as Jen left the room, merely straightening up, facing the door, and standing there against the wall as he listened to her talk to Carter and subsequently exit the apartment. For a moment, in the midst of the silence that followed, all he could do was mull over what had just happened and the emotions he was going through. The frustration, the fear, the resignation... but somewhere beneath it all, the tiniest bit of hope. A willingness to keep his chin up for as long as he possibly could.

Of course, he could only stand there contemplating these things for so long before his stomach started growling again, at which point Evan clutched his belly with one hand, pointed to it with the other and sharply snarled, "Shut up."

Knowing he'd have to eventually –and that he had nothing better to do anyway– Evan balled his fists, marched out of the bedroom, and entered the kitchen. Sure enough, everyone else in the apartment was gone, giving him just a little more time to adjust before he had to show himself to anyone else. He also discovered that the timer was running and the oven was on, leading him to notice the aroma coming from it. What was that, lasagna? Whatever it was, it smelled delicious, and it only served to strengthen his already ravenous appetite.

"Rgh..." He tried to tell himself that his hunger had nothing to do with his physique. That he would've been starving even if he was still his usual, trim self. And while that was true, he still couldn't help but feel disgusted with himself.

Evan did his best to push those thoughts out of his head as he halfheartedly fixed himself a ham sandwich. His late lunch progressed in silence as he sat alone at the table, head in his hand, deadpan frown trained on nothing in particular, mind wandering. He wondered what his friends were up to and how their search was going; if it had gone on for this long, taking into consideration Swift's solo hunt the night before, he couldn't help but conclude that it was going badly. Regardless, he tried not to worry. Evan trusted his team, he appreciated their efforts, and he could concede that things might not be too drastically different if all went south. For their sake, he could potentially suck it up and stop whining, no matter how strange he felt in his present moment, no matter how many awkward glances at the midsection were in his future, no matter how small this chair suddenly felt. But probably not anytime soon.

He sighed and took a sip of Dr. Pepper, considering what Jen had told him. This... probably wasn't the worst thing he could've been turned into, right? He was still human. He was at least well enough to get up and take care of himself. It could've been worse. Granted, maybe it was because he was trying not to dwell on it, or maybe he was still reeling from the degradation of it all, but Evan was having a hard time imagining how it could've been worse.

[Pink Moon Wolf]

For a brief moment, a small spot of scenery in the living room seemed to distort. A burst of purple light sprung to life as a portal opened on the spot. Swift stepped through that portal, her head in her hand, the doorway sealing itself shut again as soon as she had passed, the light fading with it.

Swift let out a deep, agitated sigh as she ran a hand through her hair and stared out the window. An entire day wasted, and all she had to show for her work was a few scratches and at least two, maybe three levels of exhaustion. To say she was feeling discouraged would've been a severe understatement, but despite the aggravation, she was too tired to rant. She was in dire need of sleep. She hardly even had the mental fortitude to determine how she was going to explain herself to Evan anymore.

Turning around and preparing to slog her way towards a long night's rest, Swift instead found herself freezing on the spot and staring ahead with wide eyes and folded-back ears. Evan was sitting right there, just outside the kitchen, staring right back at her.

The silence hung in the air for entirely too long as Swift stood there like a blank-faced statue, unable to conjure a single word. She didn't move an inch. Her eyes never turned away from Evan. Her mind ran a gambit of emotions in a matter of seconds, starting with surprise from seeing Evan sitting there initially undetected by her other exhaustion-dulled senses, followed by relief over his cured phobiosis, then awkwardness at the sight of his rounded-out form, shame that she was already going to have to break the news that it wouldn't be reversed tonight, and finally humiliation from the fact that he was just as shocked to see her as she was to see him.

"E-Evan...!" Swift finally managed to blurt out, fumbling to straighten herself out and immediately going tense again. She quickly readjusted her hat, then let her arm drop slightly into a limp, hesitant wave. "Heyyy...!"

[ParamountKeymaster]

Evan sat up straight the moment the portal opened, promptly caught off guard, unable to stop himself from fretting over who would show up through it. To his dismay, the sole arrival was the one roommate he was dreading having to confront the most.

Swift stared at him from across the room. All he could think to do was stare back at her. He didn't know what to say. He was hoping she would say something first. Seconds ticked by with Evan simply waiting for Swift to break the tension that he had no idea how to break without making a complete fool out of himself and OH MY GOD WHY WON'T SHE STOP STARING, WHY ISN'T SHE TALKING, YOU'RE MAKING HER UNCOMFORTABLE, YOU'RE TOTALLY PUTTING HER OFF, SHE'S NEVER GONNA WANT YOU LIKE THIS, SAY SOMETHING YOU DINGUS, MAKE HER STOP STARING!!!

To his relief, Swift spoke up before Evan had a chance to blurt out whatever mindless drivel was on the tip of his tongue. He quietly let out the breath he had been holding, though his back remained rigid, his nerves still shot, finding little relief in Swift's awkward greeting. Eventually, he managed to respond with his own, shaky, "Hey..."

And then came another pause. Evan pursed his lips. He drummed his fingers on the table. His eyes flicked away. In his mind, he was screaming at himself to just act normal, but that order refused to come to fruition, given the fact that he didn't feel normal. How was Evan supposed to act like himself when he simply wasn't himself, and especially when Swift wasn't looking at him like he was himself?

"Sooooo..." His eyes continued to shift about until they settled into a forlorn, downward grimace at his rotund form. He briefly attempted to suck in his gut, only to stop halfway with a sharp exhale, fearful of looking desperate. Then he warily looked back up at Swift. "How're things...?"

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Errrrmmm..." Swift twiddled her fingers and looked up at the ceiling, easily picking up on Evan's discomfort, hoping that maybe he would feel a little better if she wasn't focusing too hard on his physical state. Now all she had to do was figure out how to let him down gently. "Not... great..."

She began slowly pacing in place, her gaze shifting between the ceiling and the floor, her hand on her head as she awkwardly scratched behind her ear. "We, uh... We still... can't... find Rainflower... and everyone was just really tired, and I'm really tired, and I just... I can't... I needed to stop. We covered pretty much the entire caverns, everyone else was searching above ground, we didn't find anything, and I was going crazy running in circles. I'm... I'm sorry."

Swift turned to face Evan again. A split second later, her eyes were on the ceiling again. Her teeth gritted in an impressively failed attempt at a smile. "But, uh, hey, the cure worked! That's good to know. H-How-How're you?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Oh..." Evan sunk in his seat a bit and frowned at the table. True, he had been anticipating disappointment when it came to the hunt for Rainflower, but it was still disheartening to hear. "I mean... i-it's okay. You did what you could. You don't have to apologize."

His arm slipped off the table and hung limply at his side. He listened quietly as Swift proceeded with an attempt at optimism. He nodded and weakly attempted a smile in return, because yeah, at least he wasn't a spider. Then his smile fell and he offered a light shrug. "I, uh... I'm okay. I guess I do feel better. Head's not stuffed up, fatigue is gone, nausea's gone... so there's that. I mean, aside from the, uh..." Don't draw attention to it, stop drawing attention to it, stop gesturing at yourself you weirdo! "I'm okay. Um... You?"

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"That's... That's good," Swift repeated, rocking back and forth on her heels. Just keep talking and pretending like nothing is out of the ordinary. Reassure him. Don't make him feel worse. "I'm alright. More or less. Just... really worn out. Really need some sleep."

She gave Evan a rather ill at ease grin and pointed a thumb down the hall. "I-I'm also kinda grimy, thought I could use a shower..."

[ParamountKeymaster]

"O-Oh, no problem, go ahead, go shower," Evan hastily insisted, raising his hands defensively, gritting his teeth and twitching the corner of his mouth in what looked like a massively failed attempt at a humorous grin. "You've been running back and forth for like twelve hours now. Don't let me hold you back."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Cool cool." Swift shot Evan a thumbs-up, then started lumbering towards the bathroom without looking back. "You just hang tight, okay? I'll try to be quick, then we can catch up, grab some dinner when I'm done."

She quickly closed the bathroom door behind her, leaned her back against it, and took a deep breath. Then, after a few seconds of reflection, she slumped her head and let out a deep groan. That could have gone better.

"Welp, we failed," Swift grumbled, pointing a finger gun at her temple. "Don't look, honey."

[ParamountKeymaster]

"You do that..." Evan mumbled back, awkwardly smiling and waving to Swift as she disappeared into the bathroom. The tension kept its stranglehold on the atmosphere as Evan spent a good five seconds just staring at the closed door.

Then, weighed down with dismay, Evan dropped his head face-down onto the table and let out a deep, disconcerted, guttural noise somewhere between an especially loud groan and a low, reserved scream. So that's how it could've been worse.

---------------------------

The front door swung open. Darien practically stumbled inside with his head in his hand, emitting a heavy sigh, kicking the door shut behind him. Today had been a hell of a day, coming off of what was already a hell of a week. He needed a break. Not so much a moment of physical rest, but rather a vacation from life itself.

It didn't take long for him to spot Evan sitting at the kitchenette table. When he did, Darien's reaction was rather subdued, offering little more than a smirk and a nod. "Well, glad to see you're human again."

"Mm..." Evan set aside the pop he had been idly sipping and mustered a halfhearted grin in return. "Heh... Good to see you too, Darien. Rough day?"

"Eh... Not really rough as much as it was straight frustrating," Darien mumbled in return. Once liberated of his shoes, he walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge and pulled out a large, premade salad. "Jen gave me the rundown, though. Lasagna should be ready to come out. If it's alright with you, I'm bloody starving. Can't wait for the others."

"Fine by me." Evan stayed seated, staring at the table, trying his best not to get flustered again. Of course, the moment Darien opened the oven and that scent wafted through the air again, Evan was reminded of just how little his sandwich filled him up. He covered his face and moaned to himself, then promptly stood up and joined Darien in the kitchen. "Actually, I think I'll eat too."

"Sure, help yourself," Darien replied nonchalantly, dishing out his own plate before sitting down and leaving Evan to do the same.

As he started into his supper, Darien watched Evan out of the corner of his eye. Concern was evident in his face, though for what exactly was hard to discern. It didn't let up as Evan rejoined him at the table, practically slamming his plate down before taking a seat and poking at the salad and lasagna with the disgusted scowl of a high schooler dissecting a frog. "I am so ready for this week to be over."

"Can't say I blame you..." Darien mumbled back, eyebrows irked with anxiety.

Evan sighed and glanced back up at Darien, a clear apology in his eyes. He didn't want to take his anger out on his friend, no matter how obvious it was that Darien wasn't taking it personally. He didn't even seem all that bothered by Evan's new look. "How are you so chill about this?"

"Empathy has its pros and cons, mate."

"Huh...?"

Darien smirked and snorted through his nose. "Evan, what you're going through is my monthly routine."

To that, Evan had to smile and chuckle in return. "Yeah, I guess that's a fair point. Who am I to complain?"

"Well, frankly, we're dealing with Rainflower here. There's always something worth complaining about when Rainflower's involved."

"Heh... No argument there."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Don't be so hard on yourself... We did all we could..."

The door slowly creaked open again, this time signalling Andromeda and Aether's return from the hunt. The former was looking down and out despite the latter's warm reassurances. "Evan will understand, I'm sure."

When the duo turned away from each other, they were quick to spot the two young men seated at the table. They were certainly relieved to see Darien, but couldn't help but greet Evan with varying degrees of surprise. Andromeda basically curled inward and locked up, her cheeks flushing purple and her eyes meekly darting away. Aether, meanwhile, donned an awkward smile and trotted over to the unfortunate man of the hour. "Evan...! Good to see you up and about again! How are you feeling?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

Evan involuntarily flinched when he heard the door again, but loosened up slightly when he saw who it was. He more or less knew what to expect with Andromeda and Aether. Sure, Andromeda's discomfort and lack of eye contact stung a little, but it was certainly in character for the awkward alien. Aether's question was one that he didn't really know how to answer, so he eventually settled on a shrug. "As well as I can be, I guess. I don't feel like I'm dying anymore, at least. Physically, anyway..."

"Seems like none of us have had much luck finding the bonkers fairy," Darien murmured, nodding sympathetically to Andromeda.

"At this point, I can't even say I'm disappointed," Evan sighed between bites of salad. "Well, plenty of food in there to refuel ya, Andy."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"I suppose that's to be expected at this point..." Aether sighed in return, ears folding back.

The corner of Andromeda's mouth inched up into a sad smile as she nodded back to Darien. Then, with her eyes on the floor, she retreated into the kitchen, taking up the offer and dishing herself out a salad.

"It is rather disconcerting that Rainflower has simply vanished at such an inopportune time," Aether continued, leaping up onto a chair next to Darien. "They've always been a flighty type for sure, but it's generally not like them to disappear altogether when they know their work has become involved in our affairs."

Andromeda glanced off to the side, noting the sound of a hairdryer coming from the bathroom. She tilted her head at the group and pointed to the door, to which Aether translated, "Who else is here? Someone in the bathroom?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

Darien threw his hands up to Aether's musings. "At this point, I've given up trying to predict their actions. I don't have it in me to be angry anymore. I just feel plain bad."

Evan swallowed his latest mouthful and nodded in agreement. Then he glanced between Andromeda and Aether. "Swift's finishing up her shower. Jen's taking Carter for a walk. Not sure what's up with Patrick and Ace."

"If the group chat is anything to go on, they're meeting up for some one-on-one before they head back," Darien answered.

"Sounds fair."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

Andromeda nodded again and shot a thumbs up, taking a seat at the end of the table with her salad and a glass of water. After that, her eyes settled on her plate and refused to make contact with anyone else. Her uneasiness with this unusual situation was on full display.

Aether took a deep breath, saddened by the tense atmosphere. "It is difficult to ascertain Rainflower's motives and movements, but let's not let that discourage us. We've worked our way out of trickier scenarios than thi-"

"DON'T LOOK!"

The sudden call from the bathroom elicited a simultaneous jump from the apartment residents. Swift poked her head out of the bathroom, the door just barely cracked. "Nobody look! Left my pj's in the bedroom! Don't get up, I can get 'em myself!"

Once she was certain that no one was looking her way, Swift hastily scurried out of the bathroom –towel securely wrapped around her torso– and ducked into her and Evan's bedroom, slamming the door behind her to signal to the others that the threat of going blind had passed.

Andromeda spared a quick peek over her shoulder, then shot an awkward frown at Aether. The little laikaor exchanged the sentiment, then she looked to Evan, noting his discouraged expression, offering a tiny smile. "It's going to be okay, Evan."

[ParamountKeymaster]

Darien responded to Swift's request like nothing was out of the ordinary, continuing to eat his dinner whilst acting like Swift wasn't even there. Evan put on a much more outward attempt to avert his gaze, bashfully shielding his eyes with his hand and turning away the moment he heard Swift's voice, not just for the sake of respecting her privacy, but because he didn't have it in him to look in her direction again. Not after that first conversation...

Once Swift had disappeared again, Evan let out a soft groan and started poking at his dinner again, stuffing his mouth before he had a chance to say anything stupid or self-deprecating. Aether's attempt at comfort earned little more than a weak "Mm-hmm..." from Evan.

Darien cast him a knowing frown. "I take it your reunion didn't go so-"

"I'D...!!! ...rather not talk about it, okay?" Evan grunted, holding his hand up to stop Darien in his tracks, a request that Darien seemed willing to comply with.

As silence filled the room again, Evan turned his gaze downward, stymied and embarrassed to find that his plate was empty, cleared in a bout of unconscious stress eating. Sighing again at the sight, Evan grabbed his dishes and stood up, hastily retreating into the kitchen and dumping them into the sink. Then he stormed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him, disappearing without another word.

"I choose to take that as a no..." Darien whispered to himself before taking an uncomfortable sip of his drink.

---------------------------

Evan stood over the sink, leaning on the countertop, staring in dismay at his hands. He didn't want to feel this way. He had tried so hard to carry on a conversation with Darien and Aether like nothing was out of the ordinary. But he still couldn't shake just how wrong this felt. How wrong he felt. The awkward looks, the topic at hand, the subtle attempts at encouragement that only served to remind him why he needed it... he just couldn't let them slide. He couldn't act like nothing was wrong.

Against his better judgment, Evan looked into the mirror. The steam from the shower had lifted, giving him a clear view of himself, and one second of it was enough to make him shudder and turn away again. That round face, that chubby form... they weren't his, and yet they were his, and that humiliating paradox was destroying him on the inside. Talking to his sister and his friends had proven difficult enough, but how was he going to face Swift when he couldn't even face himself?

Eventually, Evan took a deep breath and grabbed his razor out of its drawer, hesitantly beginning the process of sanding away his stubble, struggling and utterly failing to convince himself that nothing was wrong with his face.