𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 (yandere x reader)

THREE ─ [ . : ｡✿ ] white camellia

"Oh, well, I just don't really like eating on furniture, so I sat here," (Y/N) explained. "Elijah was nice enough to join me, and then all of you guys did too!"

"Were your parents super proper or something?" Naoki asked curiously, in between bites.

"No, definitely not proper," (Y/N) laughed. "No, we were just pretty poor, and y'know, everything is valuable when you have so little." She shrugged. "I mean, we got by and everything, we just couldn't really afford extras. Eating on the couch leads to extra stains, and we didn't have the money to get it properly cleaned, so if we wanted a clean couch we just couldn't make a mess."

Silas nodded. "That makes sense."

Aziza hummed.

"That's really interesting," Lori said. "I grew up, like, semi-poor, and we were the total opposite. We always ate on the couch, and it definitely got stained. It just, like... stayed stained, y'know?"

(Y/N) nodded in understanding. "Oh, for sure, that's valid," she said. "I don't know, my mom just had this thing where she didn't want anyone to know we were poor." She shook her head in amusement. "I always had to tell her, like, Mom... we get all our clothes from Goodwill, and I've worn the same ratty old shoes for three years in a row. They already know." (Y/N) laughed lightly, and her roommates joined her. "No, but she always wanted to make sure we had our dignity, y'know. No stained couches or anything. She never wanted us to feel like we were less than, and for her, part of that was... playing pretend, I guess." She smiled ruefully.

"See, that I understand," Elijah commented, wiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "My parents were loaded──" this definitely wasn't an attempt to brag. In fact, he sounded pretty disdainful of his family's wealth. "──but playing pretend was all they did. It was all about appearances, y'know?" He shrugged. "It was like they cared more about us looking happy than us actually being happy."

"...I think that's the most I've ever heard you speak in one sitting," Naoki said, and the room lit up with faint laughter.

"Whatever," Elijah rolled his eyes, but there was still a slight grin on his face.

"Wow, dinner in the dining room turned into therapy," Aziza chuckled. "Didn't see that one coming."

"What about you, Aziza? How did your childhood fuck you up?" Lori asked.

She shook her head. "Yeah, vulnerability makes me wanna vomit, so in the interest of finishing this pizza, I'm gonna pass."

"Ah, maybe one day," Silas said, smiling softly.

"Good luck with that," Naoki shook his head in amusement. "Zi's easily the most private person I've ever met. She'll die before she does therapy. Even the kind with pizza."

"You make me sound so cold!" Aziza chided. "I'm not that closed off."

"Oh, yeah?" Lori chimed in. "Name one story from your childhood."

"What, like a happy one or a sad one?"

"How about one of each?"

Aziza shook her head. "See, now you're just getting greedy," she teased. "Askin' too much of me."

"You can share at your own pace," (Y/N) said, as she made eye contact with Aziza. "There's no rush."

"Thank you," Aziza drew out, emphasizing each syllable. "See, this is why she's my new favorite!" She gestured to the new housemate, as she glanced around at the others.

"I'm not your favorite anymore?" Lori pouted jokingly.

"Anymore...?" Aziza furrowed her brows, before grinning wide to show the lightheartedness of her teasing.