Raven

Hoshi happened to be walking past room 509. "Hey Rachel!" she said, pausing in the open doorway when she spotted the other girl. "How's it going?"

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"Hello, Hoshi," Raven said, smiling at her friend. "I am well. How have you been?"

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"I'm good," said Hoshi. "Things were kind of strange last week and I wasn't sleeping too well, but I think I'm getting over it somewhat. How about you?"

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Raven nodded. "Last week was very unpleasant." Understatement of the year. "This week has been much better."

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"Glad to hear that," said Hoshi, nodding. "We all deserve some good days after what we went through in that other place, right?"

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"You were brought there as well?" Raven asked quietly. She had been doing her best not to think of the Other Fandom as much as possible.

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"I was," said Hoshi softly. "It was so bizarre. I pretty much kept a low profile while I was there. I mean, the other me seemed to be so much tougher than I was, and I didn't want to disappoint anyone when they realized how useless I would be against a vampire."

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Two showers after class and Chuck still looked like he was ready for a night out to Studio 54.

This glitter was never going to come off.

Despite the glitter, he did look pretty serious business when he knocked on Raven's doorframe. "Um, hi."

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"Chuck!" Raven said in delight. "I was hoping to see you today. Come in! Why are you covered with glitter?"

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"I fear I was not very helpful either," Raven said. Quite the opposite. "I was not meant to survive in a place like that."

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"And that wasn't even the worst part," added Hoshi. She looked around to make sure none of those pesky squirrels were around, then added in a whisper, "When I first got there, I sorta found myself in bed with one of my male friends. It was pretty embarrassing."

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"Christ, I'm still covered in it? I took like two effing showers already," Chuck said, frowning. Wait, he needed to stop thinking about glitter. He had a job to do here.

Chuck took a couple steps into the room and folded his arms across his chest. "Look, we need to talk."

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"That would be embarrassing," Raven agreed. "Has it caused any awkwardness for you?"

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She was picking up on his serious tone now. "Is something wrong?" she said. "Are you all right? You are not hurt, are you?" She didn't sense any pain from him, but she was feeling...guilt?

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"Luckily, it hasn't. It could have been really bad, but he's crazy about his girlfriend and I'm not interested in a relationship. I like boys, but I really don't need a boyfriend," said Hoshi.

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"I am glad that it has not caused unpleasantness," Raven said. "Why do you not wish to have a boyfriend? Is not love wonderful?"

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"I'm fine. Well, no. I'm not fine," he started and, wow, when did he become the type of person who blathered out things as he thought them? "I feel bad because, um, I'm pretty sure I misled you. Unintentionally."

The unintentional was the important bit if he wanted to live through this.

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"I wouldn't know. I can't say that I've been in love before," said Hoshi. "I just have trouble getting close to people sometimes, and the idea of totally falling in love with someone else seems more terrifying than wonderful. Besides, it doesn't seem fair to be in a relationship with someone in Fandom when I know that I'll be leaving one day."

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"What do you mean?" Raven said, confused, though part of her knew and had known this was coming. That part was turning cold inside her.

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"I had never been in love before," Raven said. "I was taught that I could not allow myself such a thing. But now...I do not know how I can live without it."

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Rachel's answer caught Hoshi off-guard. "Wait a minute... You're in love with someone?" she asked. "Wow. I didn't even know you were dating anyone!"

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"It was unexpected," Raven said. "I do not know if I should say who, though, because every I have told has found it difficult to believe."

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Chuck took in a breath and wondered just how in the fuck he was going to word this. He should have gotten Sam to write some note cards for him or something.

"I know you think you have, uh, feelings for me and I never intended for that to happen. And I'm sorry about that," Chuck said. "I'm just not the relationship sort of guy."

Anybody that really knew him would know that which was just more proof that Rachel was kind of deluded.

"I just wanted to make you feel better for a while." And, you know, prove to himself that he could get her into bed. But it was mostly the first thing.

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It was probably best that Hoshi didn't know, because she'd like to keep her eyeballs from popping out of their sockets, thank you very much.

"Well, I'm happy for you," she said, though she didn't sound very confident. The fact that Rachel wouldn't tell her the guy's name had her worried.

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