As Above, So Below

1

⎯⎯ ୨ Chapter 1 ୧ ⎯⎯

Chi's footsteps echoed on the tiled floor, the heels of her shoes clicking as she walked. The dim lights above shined a soft blue glow to the atmosphere, yet they provided little to no actual light. Not that she minded, of course. She knew the layout like the back of her hand thanks to the many lock-ins and after-hour care hours she had put in.

Underneath her breath, she hummed a quiet tune, unknowingly humming along to the melody of the music coming from behind her.

She closed her eyes as she walked, contentedly listening to the quaint ambience of the pizzeria. Not much went on at night, and she greatly appreciated having a moment to herself. The sound of her shoes clicking against the tiles was by far the most prominent, but a little while off, she could hear a couple of voices. A flutter of excitement bubbled in her chest at the sound of the younger—though not by much—friend? She wasn't much sure whether their relationship constituted as a friendship, and with the way the others acted about it, she wasn't too keen on finding out.

Behind her, she could hear the shuffle of her partner's footsteps. They had asked to come with her when she said that she wanted to walk around the pizzeria before the guard got there. As with every time they ventured beyond the break room, they had been sure to bring their handheld game system. Something about their fixation on all things gaming—especially Nintendo—struck her as adorable, especially since they regularly got merch from a handful of kids.

"Cherry?" He hummed in response, probably distractedly fingering away at the electronic in his hands. "You fine with going to see JJ 'n co.?" He didn't respond, but Chi took that as indifference rather than opposition. She angled towards the prize corner, making a beeline for the counter. She had to almost physically restrain herself from skipping the rest of the way.

As she got close to the corner, she slowed up. She didn't really want to scare either of the "balloon goons" as Blu had coined for the both of them, since the more overdramatic of the two would make a scene. Chi hadn't even noticed that she had come to a complete stop until Cherry nearly knocked her over. She gasped and tripped over her feet for a split second before regaining her balance. Looking over her shoulder, she checked to make sure that her partner was okay.

He didn't look up from the electronic in his hands, his eyes focused on the moving images on screen. Chi could see the rosy tint spread across his face as his cheeks reddened. He mumbled out a quiet "sorry" before returning to his game. The speakers emitting the occasional twinkle of music followed by a couple of cartoony sound effects. She felt her heart flutter at the determined look on his face. Then she remembered why she had come over here. Or rather, was reminded by one occupant of the corner.

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST WOMAN," the pissier of the duo cried out, slapping a hand on his chest. The action invoking a healthy sounding thunk from his palm. "I COULD'VE DIED, YOU INCONSIDERATE TRAMP."

"Then perish," she quoted Cherry, who usually quipped in with it for her.

"UGH! I AM APALLED, I AM DISGUSTED, I AM- "JJ slapped a hand over the noisy cretin's mouth before smiling at her and politely excusing BB's outburst.

"Hi hi!" she greeted cheerfully, smacking a hand back over BB's mouth again when he tried to start his griping again. She shot a dirty look at him, and Chi suppressed a giggle at the two's antics.

From the outside, it seemed like they got on about as well as two siblings got along. BB was the sassy, loud-mouthed, and lewdly forward of the two, while JJ was much more reserved. Chi preferred JJ's sweet and overall, much easier to swallow temperament. They fought—albeit playfully—most of the time they were around each other, which was almost always. To be completely honest, she couldn't remember a single time where they weren't together. For as toxic as he pretended to be, BB actually cared for JJ's wellbeing a lot more than he let on. At least, that's what Chi picked up from him.