A new Day 3

Gino's mind raced, pinned beneath the white-haired girl's relentless embrace, her cheek grinding against his with a fervor that felt like she was trying to fuse their skin. The snake coiled around them tightened, its scales scraping his bare torso, a living leash of her devotion. He needed out—out of this suffocating tangle, out of their madness, back to his mission.

The only escape he could muster flickered into his head: distraction, pure and simple.

rub rub rub

His fingers brushed the white snake's sleek body, tracing its cool, shimmering scales. It froze, its grip slackening just enough for him to breathe. The white-haired girl paused mid-rub, her elliptical pupils narrowing as she tilted her head, curious, possessive.

tickle tickle tickle

Gino didn't hesitate. He slid his hands from the snake to her, targeting the soft hollow of her navel, the sensitive insides of her thighs, the tender spots beneath her arms. His fingers danced with ruthless precision, digging into her flesh through the thin gown.

"HaHAhAHAhA… AHhahaha!"

She erupted, a storm of laughter and tears bursting from her like a dam breaking. Her body convulsed, thrashing against him as she tried to twist away, but he kept at it, tickling until her arms flailed and her legs kicked wildly.

Finally, she rolled off him, collapsing onto the bed in a giggling, sobbing heap. She tumbled to and fro, the mattress creaking under her, her laughter echoing off the cramped walls even after his hands fell still.

Gino staggered to his feet beside the bed, chest heaving, sweat prickling his brow. His eyes darted around the room—under the sink, behind the stove, in the pile of junk by the door. Where else could that damn badge be?

sob sob

A faint, pitiful sound cut through the white-haired girl's fading hysterics. Gino's gaze snapped upward, locking on the wardrobe's edge. There she was—the black-haired twin, perched like a mournful crow, her dark locks spilling over her shoulders, her slitted eyes brimming with tears.

She stared at him, lips trembling, her scales glinting faintly on her cheeks. He knew that look—knew what came next. It was a trap he'd fallen into too many times before.

With a resigned sigh, he spread his arms wide, pasting a pleasant, crooked smile on his face. "Come here," he said, voice soft but braced.

She didn't hesitate. She launched herself from the wardrobe, a blur of black gown and desperation, soaring through the air like a lovesick missile. Gino caught her, his arms wrapping around her slender frame, but her momentum slammed them both backward onto the bed.

The springs groaned as they hit, his spine jarring against the mattress. Air shot through him, sharper than he'd expected, and he let out a strained laugh, that same forced smile plastered on. "…It hurts more than I thought."

She didn't laugh back. Instead, she buried her face in his chest, her sobs erupting into full, wrenching wails. Her arms clamped around his abdomen, nails digging into his skin like claws staking a claim.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, some soaking into his briefs, the damp fabric clinging uncomfortably to his thigh. Her grip tightened, possessive, unyielding, as if letting go would unravel her entirely.

The white-haired girl, sprawled on the bed's other side, sucked in ragged breaths, her laughter finally spent. She propped herself on an elbow, peering at her twin with a mix of exhaustion and something sharper—jealousy, maybe, or smug satisfaction.

"There, there," Gino murmured, his hand sliding to the black-haired girl's head. He massaged her scalp where she hit the wall, gently, fingers threading through her dark strands, trying to soothe the storm he'd unwittingly unleashed. "The pain'll go away, I promise."

Her sobbing didn't ease, but a memory flickered in his mind—a day, years back, when a metal pipe had crashed into her skull during a street brawl. It'd bent into a perfect right angle, warped by the force, and she'd stood there, unfazed, her eyes blazing with a fury that could've melted steel.

Those eyes were gone now, replaced by this fragile, tear-streaked mess. He kept stroking her hair, half-lost in the contrast, half-wondering how she'd flipped so fast from rage to this. Answer : Drama Queen.

But something else brewed in the room, a tension he didn't catch. The white-haired girl's gaze hardened, her pupils slitting again as she glared at her twin plastered over Gino's chest.

From beneath the bed, a white snake slithered out, its red eyes glinting with intent. It crept toward the black-haired girl, scales whispering against the floor, a silent envoy of her twin's brewing spite.

Halfway across, a black snake intercepted it, bursting from the shadows like a coiled trap sprung. Their bodies clashed, fangs snapping, tails thrashing—a violent, silent brawl erupting under the bed, unnoticed by Gino as he cradled the sobbing girl.

lick

A cold, wet flick against his chest snapped him back. Her tongue—slow, deliberate—traced his skin, her tearful eyes shifting to something darker, hungrier.