Predator (DWT x OC)

37

I collapse down on one of the wooden seats, holding my head in my hands, elbows resting on the flat grain of the table. Wilbur snickers. 

"Not so easy campaigning, is it?" 

I lift my head up to glare at him. "It's not like it was my first choice." 

Niki enters the van, dragging her feet as she sits down opposite me, looking just as exhausted as I feel. We've both just spent the whole day out in L'manburg, trying to rally up votes and support. 

"How were you received?" Wilbur asks curiously. 

"Not terribly." I sigh. "I think we've managed to nick a bunch of Schlatt's votes, a lot of people hate you but want someone less unhinged than Schlatt and Fundy." 

Since the war, people have flooded into L'manburg from all corners of the world, villages and settlements from all biomes. I never really had any reason to meet any of them, but its been nice to see all the new people. 

"People love me." Wilbur says confidently. I let out a snort before I can stop myself. 

"Yeah sure they do Wilbur." I roll my eyes, as Niki giggles. 

"Are you laughing at me Niki?" Wilbur says, pretending to be heartbroken. Niki looks genuinely upset at hurting his feelings.

"No, I'm sure they love you." She says quickly. 

"Niki, sometimes you just have to hurt that mans feelings." I tell her, leaning back in my chair. "His ego's too big." 

"My ego is appropriately sized, unlike your boyfriends."

"He is not my boyfriend, and for your information I've hurt his feelings many times."

"Sure, that's why his ego is the size of fucking mars."

"I'm only one woman Wilbur, humbling that man requires an army." 

All three of us burst out laughing, Niki looking a little relieved that she didn't actually hurt Wilbur's feelings, because she's just lovely like that. Once it starts dying out, Wilbur clears his throat nervously and fixes my with an intense gaze.

"So what's the deal with you two anyway?" 

Niki and I both catch each others eyes, widening at the question. I pause for a moment, trying to think of a way I could possibly sum everything up into a semi-coherent mess. 

"Well um..." I start uncertainly. "We broke up. Well- no, I broke up with him. After he cut Tommy at the debate." 

Wilbur nods. "So you hate him again?"

I shift uncomfortably in my seat. "In theory, yes."

He raises an eyebrow.

"In reality it's a little more complicated." I add, and it feels as though all my feelings are straining to explode out, like a dam seconds from bursting. "I- I uh realised there's still a part of me that loves him, but I also haven't been able to actually forgive him for everything that happened during the war." 

Wilbur hums softly, eyes still glueing my in place. We sit in awkward silence, as he waits for more of an explanation and I sigh. "I needed space, and he didn't give it to me, which made me really angry because I felt trapped. That's what made me start really hating him, but obviously not truly, because whenever I hit my lowest points I always seem to end up right back in his arms." I pause, looking down at my hands. Niki grabs them underneath the table, pressing her thumbs into the crevice of my palms. I continue. 

"Outwardly, I try and make it look like I hate him, but then I can't. Look Wil, I don't know. I've only really just realised this in the last couple of days, before it was just a really fucked up blur of hatred and love and anger and sadness."