¨Like a bedtime story?¨ She reverts back to a childlike state, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand clumsily.

¨A grown-up bedtime story.¨

¨Okay.¨

She settles, and the black starts to fade away a little.

¨Once upon a time, a very, very long time ago, this thing called the Universe was created. We're not exactly sure how, whether it was divine intervention or the big bang, but we're here.

¨All of these intricate things were in place as a result of existence. Originals. The purest forms of all life were a result of the original Universe- the original soil, the original flowers, the original sunsets- all untouched and untamed and uncut.¨

¨No humans?¨ Her weak voice peeped up from the mattress.

¨No humans.¨

¨Sounds great.¨ They laugh a little. Bittersweet.

¨The world existed without judgement and without mistakes. Everything was absolute and perfect- nothing was a fault, because it couldn't be labeled as such. Theory and religion didn't exist. Only the sunsets and crystalline rocks and clear rivers.

¨And then the humans came in.¨

¨Well, fuck.¨ Raven looked serious. Garfield laughed.

¨Just listen, it'll be good.¨

¨Okay.¨ She sniffles.

¨They came in and were originals, too. They came from the rocks and the soil and the rivers. Of course they did- there is nothing that is not the universe. They came from the purity. They were without judgement and without fault because that was how they were created. There are absolutely no mistakes.

¨So, of course, at first, they never questioned the universe. It existed, they existed, and they just had to figure out the ins and outs of life and navigate everything. They appreciated and lived.¨

She snuggled in, getting more comfortable and increasingly more calm.

¨They didn't have time to form opinions. Everything was technical and progressive. Anything that they did was in terms of survival.

¨But then they started coming up with theories. How they got here. What the meaning is. Why there is progression. And people disagreed. There was disruption. Were sunsets really sunsets, or just muddy clouds?

¨By judging the universe, they were judging themselves. The world seemed dark and uninhabitable. They couldn't live with themselves because they couldn't live within the world.¨

¨Gar, this sounds awful,¨ Raven says, her voice muffled by the blankets.

¨Just wait.¨

¨Alright.¨

¨Everything became judgemental. An analogy- people used spoons. And people used spoons to eat soup, thought that spoons were the only way to eat soup. Judged people who didn't use spoons. Hurt them. Killed them, even.

¨There was no way to guarantee that you ended up eating soup with a spoon. Some people inherently ended up with forks or other utensils, and even though those ways of life still worked, though non-traditional- they were still mistreated because it was different, and most spoon-users thought that something must be wrong with them because of that.

¨Eventually, though, the people became simpler. Most accepted the forks and the knives because they realized that those things were okay, that they still got the job done. You can scoop out the noodles with the fork and tilt the bowl to drink the broth. People focused on this one area. Everyone was set on progressing the use of eating just soup- what utensils can we use? How can people be useful for this purpose?

¨People could invent their own things. People could be innovative and were born with the ability to enhance the quality of life for others and to create and contribute. There became a system of feedback. You give input, it circulates, you get feedback.

¨But others were inherently viewed as useless. Spoons without the end- a stick. Good-for-nothings.¨

¨Oh. Gar, this is really bad.¨

¨Raven.¨

¨…Sorry.¨

¨These people who viewed the others as sticks and good-for-nothings forgot about the universe. They forgot about how everything is good for something. That everyone is a product of the original creation of the existence of everything- we're just existing on a different timeline. We're literally the universe because we all exist.

¨They soon found that their horizons needed to be broadened, too. There was more out there to eat than just soup, and more than just spoons to eat foods with. The people who were out there that they viewed as good-for-nothings turned out to have chopsticks, and that opened up a world of possibilities.

¨People remembered soon enough, with trouble, that they had the universe within them. That they were stars and sunsets and things like that. Purities that had to filter out judgement; stop looking at the world with a clouded lens.

¨People sometimes thought that they were rocks. But that made sense, too. Being a star and coming out on top all the time can hurt because heat rises. And there will be people who find you and uncover you in your beauty; and gemstones are beautiful."

He kissed her forehead.

"You're beautiful, Raven."

"I believe I'm a rock." She smiled out of the corner of the bed.

"A geode. Priceless." He makes sure she's tucked in.

"But it still hurts."

"I know, Raven."

Eventually she closed her eyes

And allowed the universe

To take her

Into its vice-like grip.

…

…

…

"Raven… I'm so sorry. I don't know what I can do to help." Jinx sits at the far end of the couch, listening to Raven's story as she tries to keep herself together.

Raven just told her that she worried about her ex girlfriend a lot, that Garfield was there to help her a lot, and that she doubts her self-worth. The details were to be spared. She needn't worry the pinknette.

"It's over with now. Nothing left to do but deal with the future." She puts her arm around Jinx.

"So why do you feel the need to help me when you already have so much on your plate?" She snuggles closer to her girlfriend, sharing warmth.

"Because I know what it feels like to suffer. I'm empathic. I can't let that take over you." She kisses the top of Jinx's head, pulling the small girl's legs up over her own. She seems to get smaller by the day.

"I had an abusive ex once, too. She blamed everything on me and was manipulative."

"Sounds like mine." Raven turns down the volume on the TV, so as not to overpower Jinx's voice.

"Terra is so paranoid about me being with the wrong person now. And I know where she's coming from, trying to protect me and all, but she acts like I'm some sort of little girl who needs to be protected." Jinx rests her head on Raven's shoulder.

"Are you two close?"

"We used to be closer. But I used to live with her, you see. And now that I'm with you, we don't have nearly as much time to talk."

"Did you two date?" Raven thinks for a second, thinking that Terra is the ex that Jinx is talking about.

"Nah. She's straight as an arrow. But we were good friends. Still are." She shifts.

"She seems very protective of you."

"She is. And her house is freakin' HUGE. Like. Giant. No joke." Raven giggles at Jinx's explanation.

"Do you talk to anyone else?"

"I talk to you," she says, tapping Raven's shoulder.

"Duh, but don't you have connections? Any other people?"

"I had my ex, but I don't even like saying her name," she says, circling Raven's back with her fingers, "Terra, and… That's really it."

"Hey, Jinx?"

"Yeah?"

"I have a question for you."

"Okay?"

"Why won't you tell me your last name?"

Jinx hesitates for a moment.

"I think it's a derivative from my family. I don't want anything to do with them."

"Now you have me."

"Yepyep! Most definitely."

They watched old Netflix reruns for much of the night, anxiety and past traumatic events revolving around Raven's head while she tried forcing them out. It seemed that the littler girl had that effect on her.

But Jinx was worth it. Her Jinx.

Even though Jinx was a paradox, a whole lot of work, and might leave her in more trouble than she started with.

Hers.