Page 62 of Shaped to Be Yours

Only I didn’t have anything to put in place of Uncategorized. At least all my old chats were archived, but now I had a slew of new match requests from humans with messages like:

Dude, what are you really?

You look human. Is this a fake pic?

Come on, show us the REAL you.

Thank goodness the app didn’t allow for unsolicited pics without first accepting a match, because these assholes would definitely have shown me the realthemif given the chance.

I had updated my Looking For to Friendship the other day after meeting Kai, and some of these creeps were still messaging me like I’d put Sexual Fantasies instead. How had Cael and Teracht navigated this bullshit? Because sure, if you wanted a hookup, more power to you, but some of these weirdos were definitely treating monsters like a fetish more than people.

Treatinguslike a fetish. Maybe I wouldn’t mind as much admitting I was part of that us if I knew what type of monster I was.

It was time to delete the app. It wasn’t the escape it had been before, more just a sour reminder now. I could text Cael and Teracht later to explain. I hovered my finger over the DELETE MY ACCOUNT option just as another notification came through. Another match request. Anactualmatch.

From username frosRsexy.

frosRsexy:At least you finally set it to friendship.

BROmance2021:ricky?

frosRsexy:Check out my profile.

I clicked into it. This was definitely Ricky, with a photo posted that he’d also used for his resume—smiley but professional, and no fro.

Name:Ricky Ruas

Species:Human

Pronouns:He/Him

Age:22

Orientation:Gay

Likes:Solving puzzles, animals, listening to vinyl, cuddling watching movies

Dislikes:Absolutes, bullies, too hot summers, scary stories

Looking for:Friendship

I heard a shuffle outside the bathroom door. Faint, but my ears were attuned enough to know that Ricky was out there.

BROmance2021:cuddling watching movies huh? u make this today?

frosRsexy:Nope. Had it the whole time, probably before you made yours. Mine was just always set to Friendship. Although I may have updated my username tonight. I noticed your profile flipped sometime between Hellboy I and II.

BROmance2021:u dick!

frosRsexy:I couldn’t resist! We make a pretty good match, don’t you think?

BROmance2021:sorry i have enough friends

I heard him snort through the door.

I waited a second to see if he’d send another message, but instead, a folded slip of paper was pushed under the door. I set my phone on the sink and bent down to pick it up. I had a pretty good suspicion of what it said.

“Get in here,” I hissed aloud.

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