Anti-Addiction Protocols

“Firstly, I’d like to thank you both for coming here today.” Annika clasped her hands with a smug look on her face.

“I’m here because this is my room,” I said and gave her a look of annoyance.

“Thank you for allowing us to use your room for our meeting.”

I sighed.

I don’t really have a problem with it anyway.

“The boss doesn’t want us to use her room, so it’s best that we respect our lady’s wishes.” Max crossed his arms and nodded his head.

“What secrets do you have to hide, anyway,” I asked.

“T-That isn’t important!” Annika flushed her cheeks. “What is important is how we’re going to tackle your addictions!”

“That’s right Kwan.” Max nodded his head again. “Girls can be very defensive about guys entering their rooms, lest we find their underwear lying hidden in the shadows. ”

I nodded my head back. “Ah, that makes sense. Annika is an innocent angel. Our eyes are undeserving of her precious underwear.”

“Quit the underwear talk or I’ll give you both the electric shock.”

“Sorry!” We both said in unison.

Annika massaged her forehead. “Anyways, let’s talk about our first step. Let’s start by listing down the addictions we want to eliminate.”

She placed a notebook on top of the table and started writing down a few things.

“The first no-no is drinking alcohol, the very thing that brought you both here today.” She drew an image of a bottle and crossed it out.

Max and I took a deep gulp down our throats in harmony. Merely the thought of the beverage made our throats feel dry. We both knew that starting from now on, we would never be unable to quench our thirst for the lovely bitter spirits ever again. However, we both nodded and stayed firm in our resolution.

“The second no-no is smoking.”

I inhaled a vast amount of air through my nose and exhaled a boundless breath. For some reason, my chest suddenly carried a strange amount of weight. It was like I lost all of my oxygen supply.

Max scoffed at me and turned towards Annika. “Heh. I was never the type to smoke anyway.”

“That includes vaping too.”

“Geh!”

Max’s body slammed down on the table.

“Hand it over.” Annika extended her hand.

Max frowned, but he willingly gave away his vape kit.

Annika released a slight grin. “You’re surprisingly compliant compared to Kwan.”

I looked away from her eyes in shame. The moment I hesitated in front of her that very day was something I could never forget. It was clear that she was disappointed at me then, and I hated myself for it. That was why I decided to be better. I don’t want that to happen ever again.

“Of course! If it’s you Boss, then I’m completely dedicated to the cause!” Max winked at her.

I gave him a sharp glance and grumbled. Max flinched in response and gave me a peace sign as if to say, “My bad.”

“Don’t worry, Max, I’ll pay you for the price of the vape if you’re bothered by that,” Annika said.

“No.” Max shook his head. “There’s no need for that. That thing’s cheap to me.”

“I see. What about you, Kwan?”

“I haven’t bought any cigarettes ever since we met.”

“Good job!” Annika patted my head.

“D-Don’t do that!” I blushed and moved her hand away. “Not in front of Max!”

“Didn’t think the Master Playboy had a cute side.” Max grinned.

“Shut up or I’ll kill you.” I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist.

“No, Kwan!” Annika held my fist. “That’s the third no-no. No violence allowed. Only use self-defense.”

Her soft fingers wrapped around the top of my fist. The lady’s gentle grasp on my hand soothed my nerves, weakening my grip completely.

“Still the little hot-headed Kwan, how cute.” She giggled.

I failed to give her a response. Instead, my eyes widened as I unlocked a core memory of the past. Back when she always tried to calm me down whenever I couldn’t control my emotions.

Annika…….she was so cool.

Why did I break that promise?

“Fighting is bad, okay?”

“O-Okay.”

“Jeez, get a room for you two.” Max rolled his eyes.

Annika let go of my hand and cleared her throat.

“Anyways, onto the next no-no. No more sexual immorality! You can only engage in fornication when you get married!”

“Huh?!” Max slammed his hands on the table.

He vigorously shook his head and dropped his jaw around four consecutive times. The blonde man rubbed his hands together and cleaned his ears with his fingers.

“Did I hear that right?”

“Yes.”

“That’s ridiculous! Are you just going to accept this, Kwan?!” Max looked me in the eyes.

I nodded my head, but in a spastic fashion.

“Y-Yes.”

“Come on! He looks like a robot!” Max complained.

“That’s because he’s addicted.”

“That’s not an addiction! It’s a need. A need to spread our seed! It is what we were born for. Heck, it was how we were born! It is a natural human instinct that helped us survive as a species for eons! To take away a man’s right to use his mighty dragon means taking away his very purpose!”

“I never said that sex is bad.” Annika looked at him in annoyance. “I just said you aren’t allowed to do it before marriage.”

“What’s the logic behind that?”

“You wouldn’t want any unwanted pregnancies or sexually-transmitted diseases, right?”

“We have contraceptives for that!”

“They don’t work a hundred percent of the time.”

“But the chances of failing are low!”

“But are you willing to take that risk?”

“Well…” Max scratched his hair. “I’m not that unlucky….”

Annika massaged her chin and pondered silently for a moment. The idea of sex is pretty mixed up these days. Beliefs surrounding the very act varied from person to person, so there may or may not truly be a golden standard to it. In fact, people have gotten way too creative with it and now we have a jumbled mess of ideas. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was unable to come up with an answer. However, the Annika I know doesn’t back down when it comes to her ideals.

“Listen up, Max.”

The way her eyes sparkled signaled that she was about to make some sort of grand speech.

“Maybe sex before marriage isn’t bad. It’s not like I get to decide whether it is or not. But I do get to decide how I think about it. Allow me to share it with you,” Annika smiled.

Max’s eyes widened as he took a back seat to hear her words. I guess that even he felt that she had brewed up a special storm just for him. Not just him. Me too.

“I believe that sexual intercourse is an artform performed by two human beings who truly love each other. When their bodies fuse together as one, so do their hearts. It is a profound expression of the deep connection that they have established with each other. The very act was designed to be the most passionate form of love, where each individual must give it their all to satisfy each other to the best of their ability. Their souls are linked together, connected by a powerful current flowing with spiritual energies. As one, they move together in a dance of harmony, symbolizing their commitment to traverse the world with each other until death. Anything other than that is something I consider to be blasphemy to the design.”

Annika took a deep breath as she finished her piece. I turned to look at Max, who visibly struggled to process her words as he rubbed his temples.

“So, what does marriage have to do with this?” he asked.

“Marriage is a ceremonial commitment to love each other until the end of time. It is a way of showing your resolve to dedicate your life to that person. In simple terms, it is a promise.” She gave me the eyeball as she said that last word. “That is why I believe that only married people should have sex.”

“But, but, even married people may not truly love each other, or lose their love after a couple of years. Some even separate after a certain period of time. What exactly differentiates them from everyone else?”

“It just means that they did not take marriage seriously, that’s all. If it was true love, then they would have had an unbreakable bond. When you choose a partner, you must choose very wisely. You must understand them at the deepest level possible. This is just another reason not to have sex before marriage. You’re giving yourself to a person you haven’t fully committed to.”

“Ugh, fine. You’ve swayed me.” Max raised his hand up in the air. “Guess I’ll just jack off then.”

“Porn is also a no-no by the way.”

“UWOOOOOOOGH!”