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Jammy staggered over, heaving for air. Her limbs were aching for her to give out. The cold floor of the Titanic Loser Chamber didn't help with this feeling. In front of her, Ruler sat on the floor, back against the wall, a small smile on his face.
“Ruler,” Jammy spoke in between huffs. “Can I please stop now?”
“What?” He frowned. “But I need entertainment!”
“Does watching me exercise really entertain you?” She asked, trying not to be upset with him.
He shrugged. “Kinda.”
She scoffed in disbelief, looking up at the ceiling. Her breathing slowed a little, still heavy.
“Why are you acting like this? I thought you liked being my henchman.” Ruler obliviously blurted.
Jammy hopelessly met his eyes. They gazed at each other silently for a few moments. She didn't have the energy to reason with him further. “Gosh, I just want to lay down..! Aren't you tired, Ruler?” She asked as a hail mary attempt. “Everyone else is asleep.”
His brows raised. “You're tired?” His voice had shades of concern in them.
Jammy was caught off guard by his sudden change in tone. “Well.. yeah..?” She huffed, sucking in a deep breath. “Can you not tell?”
“Well, why didn't you just tell me in the first place?” He smirked at her. “You want to lay down? Fine.” He spread his arms out to her. “Come here.”
Jammy tilted forwards a little. “..Huh?” Her breathing slowed. “You want me to lay on you?”
“Yes. I'm a nice boss.” He spoke that made it feel like he was convincing himself more than her. His hands ushered her closer. “Now come on.”
She hesitated in disbelief, for a brief moment. Then, she smiled warmly. “Ah.” She took a step towards him and let her legs give way. Ruler caught her in his arms, her face resting against his chest. His eyes were wide, surprised by how hard she came down on him. She sighed, feeling relieved. “Finally..” She murmured, closing her eyes. “Some care..”
Ruler looked down at her limp frame, arms straddled around her. “Wow,” He chuckled awkwardly. “You’re more exhausted than I thought.”
“See, Ruler..?” She weakly laughed. “Was it.. so hard to treat me this way..?” She leaned into him further.
She sighed tiredly again. Suddenly, Ruler flushed. Things were becoming way more intimate than he was expecting. “Eh..” He looked to the side. “Have I.. not shown you enough care before?”
“No.” She scoffed weakly, smiling. “Not at all.”
“Oh.” He was surprised to hear that. If she hated the way he treated her, why hadn't she freaked out like Money had yet? He patted her on the back and rubbed down once. “I thought you didn't care.”
She snickered. “You..” She took a deep breath. “Think I didn't care about being treated like a lesser person?” She laughed weakly. “You're silly..” She giggled into him a little more, delirious.
Damn. She was cute. Ruler stayed silent for a bit, looking down at her, heartbeat getting heavier. “Well-..” Now he didn't know how she felt at all. “Do you not like being my henchman, then?”
Ruler shifted, laying on his side, bringing her with him. Jammy finally used her arms to push back against him, just enough so that her eyes could look at him for a moment. “I don't mind serving you, Ruler.” She leans back into him again. “It's kinda fun, but..” She yawned. “It'd be nice if you did some things for me, too..” She laughed again, taking a deep breath. “More things like this..”
“Oh..” He paused. He began rubbing her back soothingly. “I see..”
Their conversation died as they laid together. Ruler continued to pet Jammy, easing her to slumber. Ruler’s mind began spinning about Jammy. The way he had been treating her up to this point and what she meant for him. Then, his mind turned back to the doodle that Sticker had made of him and Jammy.
His face flushed.
Ruler wasn't sure how much time passed, but hearing a heavy breath from Jammy snapped him back to reality. He looked down at her again. Her arm lay limp at her side. He gazed at her hand, remembering how their hands had been holding in Sticker’s art.
He grabbed it.
Jammy didn't react. Ruler stared as he felt their heat share between their hands. Now he didn't feel like letting go.
He kept her hand in his as he brought it behind her back. One hand on her upper back, the other on her lower back, he held her tight in his arms. He kept a tight grip on her until he closed his eyes.