Chapter 14 Over-the-Top

Briar was officially, completely, undeniably wasted.

It was no longer just the occasional sway or exaggerated pout—no, now she was fully slumped against Cassie, legs sprawled over the couch, tail twitching lazily in the air like it had a mind of its own. Her pupils were dilated, her face was flushed, and the smug confidence she’d been holding onto had dissolved into something much looser.

Cassie, to her credit, was being a good sport about it—gently stroking Briar’s hair and making sure she didn’t tip over.

The group was still laughing over the last round of the game when Briar suddenly lifted a wobbly finger, her expression turning unexpectedly serious.

“Hey.” She squinted, pointing vaguely at the whole room. “You guys… you guys don’t even know how lucky you are.”

Cassie raised a brow. “Oh? And why’s that?”

Briar sat up (or at least tried—she ended up kind of leaning instead). Then, with all the grace and dignity of someone about to deliver the most important speech of their life, she dramatically slapped a hand over her chest.

“Because I am a DEMON,” she declared, voice wobbling slightly.

The group exchanged amused glances.

“We’re aware,” Cassie said, barely holding back laughter.

Briar nodded very seriously. “And not just any demon. I am Briar—Briar the Fearsome, Briar the Terrifying, Briar the...” She blinked. “...uh. Wait. What was I saying?”

Cassie chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind Briar’s ear. “Something about how scary and impressive you are?”

“RIGHT.” Briar snapped her fingers, nearly poking her own eye. “Yes. That. I am VERY SCARY.” She frowned at Cassie. “You should be TERRIFIED of me.”

Cassie just smiled. “Mm-hm. Totally shaking in my boots.”

Briar squinted at her. “No, like. Actually.” She gestured wildly. “I—I could destroy this entire building if I wanted to! With like—” She made an explosion motion with her hands and the soundeffect with her mouth. “Boom. Fire. Chaos.”

Cassie tilted her head, amused. “But you won’t.”

Briar groaned dramatically, flopping back onto Cassie’s lap. “Noooooo, because I’m a STUPID SOFTY and you’re too cute, and I don’t wanna explode you.”

Cassie blinked.

The room went quiet for half a second before—

“Oh my god,” one of Cassie’s friends cackled. “Did she just call you too cute to explode?”

Cassie smirked. “I think she did.”

Briar groaned, burying her face against Cassie’s stomach. “Shut up, shut up, shut up.”

Cassie grinned, gently scratching between Briar’s horns. “Aww, does the big scary demon have a crush on me?”

Briar let out a low, dramatic whine. “I will set something on fire.”

Cassie just laughed, stroking Briar’s hair as the rest of the group wheezed with laughter.

Somewhere in the back of her very drunken mind, Briar realized she’d never live this down.

…But with Cassie’s fingers running through her hair and warmth pressed against her side, she found she didn’t really mind.

As the night wore on, the energy in the apartment began to settle. The wild laughter and chaotic rounds of Bad Decisions faded into something softer—occasional murmurs, the rustling of snack bags, and the low hum of music playing from Cassie’s speaker.

At the center of it all, Briar was draped across Cassie’s lap, utterly unconscious.

Her tail hung limply off the side of the couch, twitching occasionally as she mumbled something unintelligible in her sleep. One of her arms was loosely curled around Cassie’s waist, and her usually sharp expression had melted into something almost… peaceful.

Cassie ran her fingers absentmindedly through Briar’s dark hair, watching how her brows twitched at every little touch.

“She’s… really out, huh?” one of her friends—Jamie—mused, sipping at the last of their drink.

Cassie chuckled. “Yeah. Turns out, she really can’t handle her liquor.”

“No kidding,” Mara said, smirking. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, drunk Briar is hilarious, but… I gotta ask.” She leaned forward, elbows on her knees. “What’s the deal with you two?”

Cassie raised a brow. “The deal?”

“You know.” Mara gestured vaguely. “She’s a demon. You’re… not. And yet, somehow, she’s—”

“—passed out in your lap like a lovesick puppy,” Jamie finished, grinning.

Cassie exhaled, smiling as she gently scratched behind one of Briar’s horns. The demon let out a soft grumble in her sleep, nuzzling unconsciously into the touch.

“She wasn’t supposed to be here,” Cassie admitted after a moment. “I was just… messing around, joking about summoning a demon, and then—poof.” She wiggled her fingers for effect. “She was here. And I guess, at first, she tried really hard to act like she hated it.”

“And now?”

Cassie’s smile softened. “Now she’s, uh… still pretending to hate it.” She smirked. “But she sucks at lying.”

Jamie shook their head in amusement. “And you? What do you want out of all this?”

Cassie hesitated, glancing down at Briar. The demon was still sound asleep, face relaxed in a way Cassie rarely saw when she was awake.

“…I think, for the first time in a long time, I don’t feel lonely,” Cassie admitted. “I didn’t summon her to make a deal or anything. I just… wanted someone who wouldn’t leave.”

The room was quiet for a beat.

“…Damn,” Mara muttered. “That’s hella sweet.”

Jamie smirked. “Cassie’s always been a softie.”

Cassie rolled her eyes. “Don’t make it weird.”

“Oh, it’s already weird,” Jamie shot back, grinning. “You’ve got a whole-ass demon living with you. And based on the way she was talking earlier?” They pointed at Briar. “I’d say she’s completely gone for you.”

Cassie scoffed, but she didn’t deny it.

Instead, she looked down at Briar—at the way she clung to her even in sleep, like she needed to be close.

And maybe Cassie needed it just as much.

Briar had reached a conclusion—one that burned in her gut and made her hands tremble. She was falling too hard, too fast. The feelings she’d tried to bury deep within her chest had grown into something undeniable, and it was terrifying.

Cassie was just so... good. Kind, patient, endlessly patient, and completely unfazed by every ridiculous thing Briar had tried to do to push her away. It was honestly impressive. But now, Briar found herself caught in something she couldn’t control, something that felt all too human. She needed to end it, before she lost all sense of herself.

So, she came up with a plan. A perfect plan.

It was going to be dramatic. It was going to be epic. And it was going to be the cleanest break she could manage.

She’d always been good at drama—she was a demon, after all.

Briar stood in front of the full-length mirror, surveying her setup. Her blonde hair was damp, her black outfit billowing dramatically as if she were part of some tragic romance. She took a deep breath and picked up the small bottle of ketchup she had "borrowed" from the kitchen earlier.

“This is for your own good, Cassie,” she muttered to herself, gripping the ketchup bottle like it was her weapon.

With great care, she dipped her finger into the bottle and began to scrawl out her message on the piece of parchment she had found. It read:

"I’m not the one you need, Cassie. You deserve someone normal. Someone who doesn’t drag you into this cursed existence. I’m breaking us off—for your own good."

It was perfect. Poetic. Dramatic. And, of course, horrifyingly over the top.

After finishing the letter, she threw the ketchup bottle aside, then grabbed her phone. Cassie would be home soon, and Briar needed to set the stage. She had just the idea in mind: she would stand in front of the apartment door, rain pouring down around her as she delivered the most over-the-top, heartbreaking speech. She’d even make sure she looked away dramatically, her face hidden beneath the wet strands of her hair.

Perfect.

The door swung open, and Cassie entered, looking like she’d had a perfectly normal day, as always. She froze when she saw Briar, standing by the door, drenched in what appeared to be rain.

“Uh, Briar?” Cassie called out cautiously. “What’s going on?”

Briar turned slowly, her face a picture of sadness. She made a show of looking up at the sky, where the broken sprinkler overhead had been running a little too enthusiastically, splashing her with its awkward, ungraceful stream of water. The rain effect was there, but a bit underwhelming.

Cassie squinted up at the sprinkler above her. “Is that... a sprinkler?”

Briar pushed on, ignoring Cassie's comment. She was in full dramatic mode now. “Cassie,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “You’re too good for me. You deserve someone who isn’t broken... someone who isn’t a demon. Go. Find someone normal. Please.”

She swept her arm out toward the dramatic backdrop she’d created—her body soaked, the letter she’d written in ketchup ominously placed on the table before her.

Cassie stared at her, and Briar thought for a moment that she saw something akin to... concern in her eyes.

And then, Cassie sniffed the air.

“…Briar,” Cassie began slowly, “is this... ketchup?”

Briar froze, her dramatic stance slipping. “What?”

Cassie bent down, casually picking up the piece of paper, her fingers tracing the red streaks. She stared at the ketchup-smeared words before giving Briar an incredulous look. “This is ketchup, isn’t it? You’re breaking up with me... with ketchup?”

Briar’s dramatic expression faltered, her brow twitching. “W-what? No, it’s symbolic! It’s deep, Cassie. This is sacrifice.”

Cassie, not missing a beat, waved her hand dismissively. “You’re really trying to break up with me, huh?” She crossed her arms, looking more amused than heartbroken. “Nice try.”

Briar stared at her, utterly deflated. “You’re... not taking this seriously?”

Cassie let out a soft chuckle and took a few steps forward. “Oh, I’m taking it seriously.” Then she grabbed Briar’s face, cupping her cheeks with both hands.

“Nice try, babe,” Cassie whispered with a grin. “But you’re stuck with me.”

Briar’s brain short-circuited. “What?”

Cassie raised an eyebrow. “You can’t do this, Briar. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Briar’s mind raced. She was supposed to be the one doing the dumping. She was supposed to be the one to let Cassie go, to be the one to push her away for her own good. But instead—Cassie had completely turned the tables on her, taking the letter, sniffing it like it was some kind of joke, and then kissing her on the forehead as if everything was fine.

Briar could feel herself flush, her heart thudding in her chest. “You’re not... angry?”

“No,” Cassie said with a soft smile. “I’m not angry. I’m just wondering when you’ll realize I’m not going anywhere.” She leaned in, her lips brushing against Briar’s cheek in a sweet, teasing kiss.

Briar’s heart skipped a beat, her thoughts spinning. What was happening? What was Cassie doing to her?

“I can’t believe you thought a ketchup breakup would work,” Cassie said, her tone amused. “Come on, babe. I’m not that easy to get rid of.”

Briar, completely caught off guard by the kiss and Cassie’s nonchalance, could only manage a single word: “Babe?”

Cassie stepped back slightly, a glint of mischief in her eyes. “That’s right, Briar. I’m here to stay. And you’re stuck with me now.” She gave her a wink. “You can try all the dramatic breakups you want, but you’ll never get rid of me.”

Briar stood there, stunned, as Cassie casually strolled into the apartment, tossing her bag on the couch.

“You coming inside?” Cassie called back to her, looking over her shoulder with a smile that had no trace of concern.

Briar stood in the doorway, the rain still sprinkling around her, completely and utterly flabbergasted. What was happening?

Did she want to kiss Cassie? Or scream at her for ruining her perfect, dramatic plan?

Cassie had broken her without even trying. And now? Now, Briar realized, she couldn’t even remember why she’d tried to push Cassie away in the first place.

With a long sigh, Briar followed her inside.

And just like that, she realized: maybe she didn’t want to be rid of Cassie at all.

“Okay, fine,” Briar muttered, smirking as she closed the door behind her. “You win.”

Cassie laughed, plopping onto the couch with a satisfied grin. “I always do.”

And as Briar looked at Cassie, she couldn’t help but feel a little lighter. Maybe breaking up with her wasn’t such a good idea after all.