━━━━༻ ❀ ༺━━━━
よん
tangled threads pt. 1
━━━━༻ ❀ ༺━━━━
~Requested by AaelinSardothing~
// extracted from: directory #0020563
Reese, the childhood friend. The best friend who stuck by (Y/n)'s side no matter what, the best friend who did his best to support her through her highs and lows, and the best friend who was more than willing to step aside if it was something she wanted. The same person who was willing to stand up to people who could easily ruin his life with a snap of their fingers, just for her, and the person who soon became the very card those same people used to manipulate the (h/c)-haired girl.
But what if we removed all those tags from his name? If we stripped him of his role as a "childhood friend," then what use would he be? Would his twin still be alive? Would he still harbor those dangerously obsessive pent-up feelings towards our heroine? Or...would he fade into the background as an extra, only to be axed in the Game?
And, who would fill that empty role?
~❀~
If it was Leon Matthews...
It was the day of their entrance ceremony. Year 9 was one of the only few years where a student from another school could apply to attend the prestigious academy, Fortuna Institute. And (Y/n) was one of them.
She tightened her grip around the strap of her bag as she ran to the bus stop where her friend was waiting for her. As she grew closer, the sunlight that blurred his figure and left only a shining outline of the male faded, revealing a tall, imposing boy with his gaze locked on a phone in his hand. For once the male wore a uniform, the white-and-gold uniform customary of Fortuna Institute, but his tie was crooked and his shirt untucked. He didn't have the blazer on either. Instead, it was slung over his shoulder.
He looked up at her approach, his silver eyes radiating the light of the sun. He pocketed the phone and leaned against a pole.
Leon reached out to flick her forehead. "Slowpoke. What are you going to do if you missed the coach?"
"But I didn't!" (Y/n) hissed in pain, her hand flying up to massage the area. "And what was that for?! It hurt!"
He shrugged and turned to face the empty road. "Suck it up."
"Wow, what a great welcome," she muttered bitterly, shifting the strap of her bag from one shoulder to the other. "No 'good morning' or anything. Be like that."
She heard him sigh and move closer to her. A heavy hand alighted on the top of her head. He lowered his head to meet her eyes. An amused grin played on his lips.
"Good morning, (Y/n)," the male said softly. "There. Happy now?"
Instead of blushing or scowling, the (h/c)-haired girl stared back into his eyes, unimpressed. "You know, everyone says that when you look at a good-looking person's face up close, it becomes uglier."
He blinked in surprise. "...Did you just call me good-looking?"
"You know what I mean!" She swatted his hand off her head. "You're heavy. You're going to make me lose brain cells."
"Funny, because I didn't think you had any brain cell, to begin with."
Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to retort. "You—"
But she was cut off. "Come on, the coach is here." Leon grabbed her hand and began tugging her towards the parked vehicle. "Or do you want me to leave you here?"
She clicked her tongue in irritation but obeyed, allowing him to drag her onto the bus and into one of the few vacant seats. He plopped her down in one and stood in front of her, his hand on the handrail. The bus was pretty full today. It was to be expected—it was the entrance ceremony, and it wasn't every day Fortuna Institute hosted an open house.
The bus rocked, making the tall male jerk forward. (Y/n) instinctively flinched back, pressing herself closer to the back of her seat. "You sure you don't want to sit?" She asked, eyeing him warily. "If you fall, I'm going to snap my spine. If I fall, a zebra like you would be fine."
"True, I'd catch you," Leon chuckled. "But no, it's fine. It's a long ride. You need to rest. And besides, I won't ever let you get hurt."
(Y/n) didn't want to admit it, but he was a pretty good friend. Actually, scratch that. He was like an older brother. Or a second father. Fitting, since he's always been great with kids, especially his younger brother.
"What did you think of what I said yesterday?" She decided to change the subject. His eyes shifted from the window behind her and back to her face. "You know, the thing about applying to volunteer at a daycare."
"Just because I enjoy taking care of my brother doesn't mean I like kids, (Y/n)," Leon snorted. "You remember what happened last month?"
She did. The two had been dragged onto a trip with both their families to a water park. A kid had taken one look at the black-haired male—his scars and all—and burst into tears.
"Okay, maybe. But I still feel like you'd be great in that role. The kids would warm up to you in no time!"
He made a humming sound from the back of his throat, his eyes shifting elsewhere. "Maybe."
This guy. (Y/n) sighed but relented, deciding not to press the subject. He still doesn't trust himself.
Ever since they were kids, Leon's had an amazing sense of responsibility, whether it be for her or his younger brother. He was always on top of things and was especially hard on himself when he made even the slightest of mistakes. Even now (Y/n) had to keep an eye on him. It was a good thing they were going to the same school. She didn't know what other torture he'd put himself through if she wasn't watching him.
Honestly, she was surprised that Leon's father allowed him to go to the same primary, secondary, and high school as her. Hailing from an affluent family, Leon should've been placed into one of those elite schools immediately that had an escalator system. Like Fortuna, she supposed. But after Mr. Matthews' messy divorce with his wife whom he caught cheating, (Y/n) supposed he wanted his son to have a sense of normalcy by spending more time with his best friend.
One could call Mr. Matthews corrupt, devious, or a manipulative politician, but no one could say he did not care for his children. Conan and Leon—they were his everything now that his wife was out of the picture.
The memory still made her a little sad. Both of them had been nothing but welcoming and kind to her whenever she went to their house to play with Leon. Cheating was the last thing she expected from Yara Matthews.
A soft tap on her shoulder drew her out of her thoughts. She looked up in surprise to meet a pair of silver orbs. "We're getting off now," Leon said with a soft sigh. "Seriously. You need to be more aware of your surroundings, (Y/n). What am I going to do with you?"
"Well, it's a good thing you're here to look out for me," she said in a teasing tone as she stood up. "Right, father?"
He rolled his eyes and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Whatever. Let's go before we're late."
Late? She thought incredulously as he helped her off the bus. He made me wake up an hour early for this!
"Hey." Leon knocked his hand against her head, making her jump. His brows drew together in concern. "Why are you zoning out again? I'm going to leave you behind if you don't hurry up."
"Psh, I wasn't zoning out." She began speed walking towards the tall, double gates of the academy. Hundreds of students were already filing in all around her, dressed in the same uniform as they were. Well, maybe not Leon. She sighed and raised an eyebrow at him.
He stopped in his tracks to mimic her expression. "What?"
"If you go in like that, people will think you're a thug. Here." She gestured for him to lower his head, which he did. She fixed his tie with an expert's ease. When she was done, she patted his shoulder. "There. Now put on your blazer and straighten your clothes."
He scowled and whipped the blazer through the air. "Do I have to? Wearing this feels stuffy."
"And here I thought you were the father. What am I, your mom?"
Leon rolled his eyes and threw the material over her head. "If you want it so much, you can wear it. Nice, it looks great on you. Now let's go."
"G-go?!" She tried to pull the piece of clothing off her head, but he was already dragging her behind him as he weaved towards the crowd. No doubt people were staring now—who was that strange ruffians and that weirdo with a blazer over her head? "Hey! Slow down, idiot!"
She finally managed to untangle the button of the blazer from her hair. She threw it at his chest with a scowl, which he caught. "Great. I'm so looking forward to the impression I've made on my fellow classmates now. You made me run."
Leon stifled the urge to snicker. "That was your problem with it?"
"No, you're my problem! I'm supposed to be the sleepy I-don't-give-two-sh*ts character! What am I now without that, huh?"
"Hmm, I wonder. You could always be my best friend."
(Y/n) wrinkled her nose. "I'm already that."
"Then..." He lowered his face to hers with a strangely soft look on his face. His silver eyes melted into pools of molten moonlight that locked onto her (e/c) ones, refusing to let go.
He smiled.
"How about being my girlfriend?"
a world where his family is not destroyed
~❀~
If it was Kim Jaehyun...
"H-here! I made this for you, (Y/n)!"
The (h/c)-haired girl turned around in surprise to see her childhood friend standing behind her with a lunchbox in his hand. His face was pink—nothing unusual, he was always either blushing or apologizing—and he seemed to be looking at everything but her.
She looked down at the pastel blue box in his hands. "You...made lunch for me?"
He nodded eagerly, his ruby eyes flickering up to meet hers for a split second, before lowering back down to his shoes shyly. "Yup! I-I hope you like it. I woke up super early to make it and everything." At her hesitant look, he began to tear up and lower his hands. "B-but you don't have to eat it if you don't want to! I know, it was stupid of me to think I could make anything decent for y-you to eat. I'm sorry—"
"N-no, I'll eat it!" (Y/n) took it from his hands with the brightest smile she could muster, even as she was crying on the inside. "Come on, let's go eat in the garden. I know a place where no one will disturb us."
Neither of the two liked crowds and loud places. That was probably why his face lit up. "Okay!"
Oh God, (Y/n) groaned internally as they sat down on a bench in a secluded side of the school gardens. Why did I agree to do this again? The last time I ate something Jay made, I was hospitalized. I had to be rushed to the ER.
Kim Jaehyun was a genius when it came to the arts, and he maintained high grades in both academics and surprisingly enough, sports.
But he could not and can not cook. Ever. Period.
She could feel his eyes on her, those innocent crimson orbs filled with excitement and anticipation. She gave him a nervous laugh and a strained smile. Maybe he improved. She tried to stay optimistic as she eyed the lunchbox in her lap warily. Maybe it'll just give me a small stomachache. It can't be that bad, right?
She gulped and opened the cover. Her stomach dropped.
It was that bad.
From what she could tell of the creation, he'd tried to make what looked like kimchi fried rice for her. But the rice, if it was even rice, was looking more black than golden-red brown, and the kimchi was soggy. The blond had tried to make a fried egg for her, sunny side up, but it had crumbled into bits. Parts of the egg was burnt into little dark particles while the other part was still runny and soaking into the fish. She supposed that bit was kind of impressive.
The entire thing gave off a strong sour smell that she knew would follow her for the rest of the day. (Y/n) realized that Jaehyun was still waiting for her to say something and as much as she wanted to make an excuse not to eat it, one look at his beautiful claret eyes made her bite her tongue.
"It looks great!" She said with forced enthusiasm. "I'm really happy you took the time to make this for me. Can I ask what"—she used the chopsticks to pick out and lift a piece of...something—"this is?"
"It's an octodog!" Jaehyun chirped. "Do you like it?"
The octodog was cut with expertise—as expected of an artist like him—but it hadn't exactly been cooked well. It was so charred that she couldn't even tell it was meat.
"O-oh, yeah! Now that I look at it, it is an octodog! Wow, you can even make this?"
He nodded. "I tried my best!"
Well, crap. I'm not getting out of this one, am I? (Y/n) gulped and took a deep breath. It doesn't look that bad. Hopefully, I'm lucky and he didn't put too much sugar this time. Here goes nothing.
She forced herself to keep her eyes open as she picked up a generous portion of the rice and popped it into her mouth.
She regretted it instantly.
The "rice" was chewy for some reason with little bits of granular substances mixed in, making her teeth grate on each other. It was way too salty and not enough chili to mask the strange taste and texture. The "kimchi" was limp and overly sour. As for the texture—it was just not it. I think I'm going to have to pray extra for my stomach today.
Jaehyun was nearly bouncing in his seat as he watched her eat. "So?" He asked eagerly. "How is it?"
(Y/n) shakily gave him a thumbs-up. Even if she wanted to say something, she couldn't. Her teeth were stuck in the octodog and now she couldn't open her mouth. He brightened and leaned against her shoulder.
"I'm glad you liked it," the blond said shyly. "You looked really tired these days and you've been skipping lunch. I know you don't have time in the mornings to make yourself something and the lines in the cafeteria are long, so I thought this might help cheer you up."
"And," he added shyly. "I wanted an excuse to spend more time with you. You're always so busy with your classes. You don't mind...do you?"
(Y/n) hurriedly shook her head, her mouth still glued shut. "Mhmmrph!" She tried to say, but only illegible sounds came out. Okay, this isn't going to work. Instead, she wrapped an arm around him slight frame and drew the boy closer for a one-sided hug. Now that he said that, I guess this doesn't taste that bad. He can be cute sometimes, I guess. I dunno. So I'll forgive his cooking disability.
"Then that settles it!" Jaehyun clapped his hands together. "Your lunch periods all belong to me now, okay? I'll make lunch for you every day and spend the period with you! You're not allowed to spend it with anyone else, got it?"
With each word, the (h/c)-haired girl felt her stomach drop lower and lower. He's going to...keep making this disaster for me...?
But she couldn't show it. Instead, she mutely nodded and gave him a nervous smile. His face was filled with unadulterated joy, making her heart twinge. Look at that face. I can't say his cooking is going to be the death of me now, can I?
She was going to have to buy a replacement stomach. I don't know how I'm going to survive school...I finally understand all those chick flicks about the struggles of high school.
As one of them wallowed in the pits of despair and self-pity, the other couldn't feel any happier. He's always hated not having all the same classes as his best friend. What if she made a friend other than him? What if that friend took his place as her best friend? He couldn't let that happen. But it was okay now. He was willing to bet whatever friend she made never made lunch for her like this. That meant he was the first!
And he was planning to become all of her firsts.
Now we can always be together!
a world where he does not live in loneliness
~❀~
If it was Kieran Fujikawa...
"W-wait, (Y/n)!"
A certain (h/c)-haired girl was currently powerwalking down the hallways. Why was she walking so fast, you ask? Of course, it's because she was being chased and she couldn't exactly run in the corridors now, could she? She didn't want to get in trouble. Especially not when it wasn't her fault she caught a certain idiotic childhood friend of hers in the closet doing the nasty again.
Kieran finally managed to escape the throng of students milling through the hallways, some tugging on his arms to get his attention, and he caught up to the (h/c)-haired girl. "(Y/n)!" He said again, wrapping his hand around her wrist to pull her to a stop. "Seriously, didn't you hear me?"
She wrinkled her nose and swatted his hand away from hers. "Ewww, what were you touching? Don't touch me when you haven't wash your hands. Shoo, shoo."
"(Y/n). Listen, I—"
"No, you listen." She kept her eyes glued on his hands, jumping back when either of the two came close to her. "I have no idea what you were touching but I don't want it on me, please. Now go wash your hands and we'll forget it ever happened."
There was a strange look on his face. If she didn't know any better, she'd say he looked desperate. The white-haired male opened his mouth as if to say something but clamped it shut. He curled his hand into a fist and turned away. "Fine. I'll go wash my hands."
(Y/n) watched him leave with a suspicious look. What's with him? Is he on his period or something? Wait, guys don't have those things. Maybe he's finally realized the true meaning of life?
The rest of the day passed without any trouble. English, math, history...everything blurred together into one big mess. (Y/n) did her best to pay attention in class and take detailed noted—when she wasn't asleep, of course—but her mind kept wandering elsewhere.
Why was he acting so weird? She mused, tapping her pen against her cheek. She was currently in her homeroom, waiting to be let out to lunch. It's not like this is the first time I caught him with some girl. Last time it was a boy. Damn, didn't know he swung that way but okay.
There was only one explanation for all this.
Don't tell me...he's finally balding?!
She snapped her fingers, making several students around her look at her weirdly. Yup, that makes sense, she nodded to herself. It was about time for that senior citizen to start losing hair. Makes total sense.
A small part of her tugged at her mind. That didn't feel quite right, but the (h/c)-haired girl had no other explanation for his weird attitude. On top of that, she could've sworn that the number of girls—with a small handful of pretty-faced guys—had been dwindling ever since they got accepted to Fortuna. The two had transferred in when they graduated secondary school. She had to admit, he had more flings there than in high school.
That made her cringe, but it wasn't his fault. Kieran was the type of person who found it hard to say no. So whenever he got asked out, he'd just mindlessly accept even when he had no romantic feelings for his partner. The practice didn't sit right with (Y/n), but who was she to judge? She wasn't that great of a student herself and she had absolutely zero experience in the matters of love. Trying to get him to settle down never really worked either. He'd just brush it off and make some silly joke to distract her.
She canted her head in thought. Or maybe I did something? Maybe he's mad at me. Maybe he found out I was the one who accidentally ate his slice of cake. But he wouldn't get mad over that, right?
Throughout her childhood, (Y/n) couldn't come up with a single instance when the white-haired male had gotten mad at her. Not even annoyed. He seemed to always have that happy smile on his face whenever he was with her.
The more she thought about the matter, the more depressed she felt. It's probably because he has some kind of problem, one he can't tell me. Everyone around me's growing up and adapting to their new environments, but I've always stayed the same. Maybe...he doesn't want a kid like me as his friend anymore?
The bell rang, signaling the end of the period and the start of lunch, yet she made no move to get up. Her brows were knitted together and she chewed on her lower lip, her (e/c) eyes boring into the smooth surface of her table. The students around her all began getting up and filling the room with idle chatter as they began leaving the room. Yet she remained. She had nowhere else to go, after all.
Maybe I shouldn't go to him, she thought sadly. She's always inserted herself into the table where her childhood friend sat at lunch. She had no other friends to sit with, and his table didn't seem to mind her presence. On the surface, that is. What if they were actually annoyed by her? What if they were weirded out by her? They were all the cool and popular kids at school. As for her? She was a nobody. They belonged in different crowds, yet Kieran still wanted to hang out with her.
But things change. People have to grow up. Friendships will break and bonds will weaken. She'd have to stop riding on his coattails someday and let go of his hand, even though she's always told herself she didn't need to make any new friends.
(Y/n) let out a tired sigh and shook her head to clear her gloomy musings. Nevermind. Thinking about these things isn't like me anyway. I'll just go to the garden or something to eat by myself.
She got up to brave the dense crowds of students in the corridors. She had to quickly duck through an opening when she got the chance, lest she gets trampled by the Summer Hall students. The brainy Autumn Hall students were unfortunate to be located right next to those athletes, but it was a trial all Fortuna students had to face some point in their lives.
Somehow, (Y/n) finally managed to squeeze out of the crowd and leave the building. She rounded past the Wishing Tree and into a more secluded area of the gardens, the place where the hedge maze was. Fortuna Institute had many mysteries weaved in its long history, and the maze was one of them.
Legends say that a murder had happened in the academy once, and the victim's body was buried in the heart of that very maze. They say that whoever dares to enter the maze will have the feeling of being stalked. If they look behind them, they will see the bloodied body of the murder victim stalking them. And if you look at the ghost in its eyes...
You'll disappear.
Not that she believed any of that. It was all just silly rumors, probably made up by some mischievous upperclassman. (Y/n) plopped down on a bench near the hedge maze and took out her lunchbox, the one she'd prepared earlier that morning. It was a simple lunch; just some fruit and a sandwich.
She unwrapped the foil around the sandwich and took a bite. It was her favorite type yet for some reason today, the bread tasted dry on her tongue and the flavor was dull. It was hard to swallow and she had to take a bottle of water from her bag to wash it down.
Her eyes fell to the grass under her swinging feet. Her shadow stared back at her. Eating alone was far lonelier than she thought. She's never liked the loudness of the cafeteria or how rowdy Kieran's table was and thought that sitting here for a change would be nice. It was just her, the sky, and the grass. And, uh, whatever ghost supposedly lived in the hedge maze.
Loneliness didn't feel good.
She finished her food faster than she wanted, and she began to regret it. There was half an hour left in the lunch period, and now she had nothing to do. She could go back inside the school to the library or something, but she didn't want to accidentally stumble upon Kieran or one of his friends. That would be awkward.
The (h/c)-haired girl suddenly had a very (not) bright idea. She slowly turned around to face the maze and eyed it. Nothing about it looked scary. It just looked like a hedge maze one would see if you googled "beautiful hedge maze." Nothing strange, nothing out of the ordinary.
If I was inside a horror movie or a book, this is the part where I die, she mused as she approached the entrance of the maze and stopped before it. She poked her head inside and turned her head both directions. The maze was well-lit, the sun effectively chasing all the shadows away. It was anything but scary. Maybe the ghost only comes out at night.
The sky was clear and it was midday. It would be bright for a long time. (Y/n) pondered her decision for a while before shrugging. You know what, whatever. I'm going to be bored anyway, and dad did say to explore the school. Apparently, if I don't, I'm going to regret it when I graduate.
And so began her journey through the maze. She made sure to always turn right so she could find her way back. Even as geographically challenged as she way, she couldn't be that bad at finding her way out of something as small as a maze, could she?
She was that bad.
The (h/c)-haired girl stood before four different paths, all leading in random directions. She was pretty sure she'd come out of the path directly behind her, but now she wasn't so sure. Though going through the maze had been pretty interesting. She'd found several small trinkets on the ground left behind by her predecessors as she walked. A book, a keychain, a lucky charm, and even a talisman. It was kind of fun seeing what kind of things she'd find.
Eeny meeny miny mo... Her eyes flickered between the paths in front of her before they settled on one. Okay, that one. Off I go!
As she walked, she began to hear strange sounds. At first, it was faint and she dismissed it as the wind. But eventually, the rustling sounds began to grow louder and louder, closer and closer. When she sped up, those sounds sped up. When she slowed down, they slowed down. Yet when she turned around, nothing was there. When she continued on her walk, the sounds did not follow her. They seemed to disappear.
Or did they? All of a sudden, the rustling of leaves changed into footsteps. They couldn't be anything else. They were human—or a walking chimpanzee—footsteps without a doubt.
And they were following her.
I think this is pretty bad, right? (Y/n) sweatdropped as she speed-walked through the winding maze, struggling to keep track of her path. I hope it's some stupid kid playing a prank on me. But if the rumors were true...
She pinched the inside of her arm. No way. I'm not the superstitious type. I don't believe in ghosts! But then...what's making those sounds?
There was only one way to find out. She held her breath and prepared to spin around. But before she did, a heavy hand clamped on her shoulder, making her scream bloody murder.
"HOLY CHEESEBALLS GOOD LORD I HAVE SINNED BUT I AM A GOOD CHILD SO DON'T TAKE ME AWAY YET—!"
"What on earth are you talking about, (Y/n)?"
(E/c) orbs met golden ones as those hands gripped her arms to spin her around. There he stood, Kieran. His eyes swept over the planes of her face worriedly as he checked her for any injuries. "Are you alright, (Y/n)? You weren't at our table earlier, so I got worried and came to find you." He took a look around them. "What the hell are you doing here? Haven't you heard the rumors?"
"You mean the one about the ghost?" She shrugged. "There's no such thing as a ghost. Even if there was, I bet it would be more scared of my amazing personality."
He did not look amused. He scanned her face and then shook his head, his hands dropping from her arms. "I can't tell if you're brave or stupid," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Probably both."
"Hey, I heard that!"
"Anyway, let's go back." His hand found itself around hers, and he began dragging her out of the maze. "Ghost or no ghost, I don't feel alright leaving you here alone. Why didn't you come join us anyway? We were worried."
She blinked in surprise. "Why?"
He cast a confused look over his shoulder at her. "Why not? You've always eaten with us but all of a sudden you stopped. Why wouldn't we be worried?"
"I dunno." Now that she's voiced her concerns aloud, it truly sounded stupid. She looked down at her feet as they walked. "I didn't think you guys wanted me there. I guess."
He stopped in his tracks, making her bump into his broad back. "Hey! Give me a warning next...time..." Her protests died down when she saw the look on his face. Was he...angry?
Kieran let out a controlled sigh and raked a hand through his hair. He turned around to face. "Don't ever think that, (Y/n)," he said in an unusually serious tone. "That won't ever happen. Those guys like you, and even if they didn't, I do. You're important to me, understand?"
"Okay..." she looked back down at the ground. "Wait, then why were you acting so moody this morning? Did you get a guy period or something?"
"...There are so many things I want to say about that but I'm not gonna." There was a conflicted look on his face and he looked lost in thought. "It's...nothing. I was just thinking about the test I have tomorrow. Don't think too much about it, okay?"
He reached forward to ruffle her hair but she dodged his hand. "Is this about when I caught you with what's-her-name? 'Cause don't worry, I'll support you no matter what."
His eyes widened. "No, that's not—"
"Then is this about me eating your cereal? Your mom said I could have it."
"No, I—"
"Then did you find out that I was the one who accidentally put your white clothes with your dark ones in the washing machine? I'm really sorry about that, by the way."
"It's the first time I'm hearing about that," he chuckled. "But no, it's not that. Really, koneko-chan. Don't worry about it."
She scowled and stepped away from him. "Don't ko—uh, whatever you said me. You're trying to change the subject again, and I don't like it. You're really acting weird these days, Kieran. You really...can't tell me?"
He looked away from her and said nothing. (Y/n) let out a sigh. "Fine. I get it. I'm sorry. I won't pressure you about it anymore, okay? Let's go back."
"W-wait!"
She shrieked as she was suddenly pulled backward, causing her to nearly trip and fall. "Warning?!"
A familiar smirk appeared on his face. "Nonexistent." Then it was gone and he sobered up quickly. A weirdly serious look appeared on his face. "(Y/n)."
"Hmm?"
"You're...going to that party this Friday, right? The one Neveah is hosting?"
"Oh, that one." She remembered the redhead announcing how everyone in her class was invited, which included the (h/c)-haired girl. "I dunno, I wasn't planning on going. Why?"
Kieran looked relieved. "Oh, good. Then—"
"What, you don't want me to?" She gave him a weird look. "You've always tried to drag me to these things."
"T-that was a while ago," he flushed. "It's different now! I don't want you going to these kinds of parties."
"Why, are you my keeper? Why can't I go?"
"I thought you didn't want to—" he tried to say, only to be cut off.
"I didn't. But if you know me, the more I'm told not to do something, the more I want to do it. So maybe I'll go after all." She began walking away from him. "Now that I think about it, it doesn't sound that bad."
Kieran shook his head. "No, you can't. You can't go."
She sighed and spun around on her heel to face him. "And why not? What are you, my dad? My boyfriend?"
"No!" The word burst out of him, making her jump. His expression distorted into something along the lines of desperation, incredulity, and dismay. "I'd never date you!"
Even though he's always been nothing more than a friend to her, the way he put it still hurt. She didn't let it show, however, and merely rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm not your type or anything. But it's not like I'm confessing or anything. Why are you getting so worked up over it?"
But he was shaking his head. He took her hand in his. "That's not what I meant, (Y/n)," he said in a softer voice. "It's not that I don't like you or you're lacking in any way. You're an amazing girl. You're always so determined and sure of your decisions, even if it's a stupid one. Well, you are an idiot so I don't expect you to understand—"
"Hey!" (Y/n) scoffed, even though she did truly not understand his weird demeanor. "I'm not going to forget that!"
"—But what I meant it, I don't want to date you as I am now," he continued as if she hadn't spoken. Her eyes widened and her anger disappeared as he drew her closer, his hands sliding down her arms to settle on her waist. His eyes seemed like pits of burning flames that caressed her skin, making her shiver. He reached up to brush a lock of hair from her cheeks.
"You know my reputation better than anyone," the white-haired male murmured. "I'm the kind of guy mothers warn their girls away from. I'm an a**hole, to put it simply, and you deserve so much more. You deserve a guy who knows how to treat you well. You deserve a guy who has all your best interests at heart and would never hurt you. I'm none of that and I know it...but I can't help but be selfish. I don't want another guy, even if he's the perfect one for you, to take you away. I want you for myself."
He released her but didn't stray far. He took a step back, but they were still close enough for her to reach out and touch him. "You see?" Kieran laughed bitterly. "I'm a pretty selfish person. Meeting you when we were children was a miracle. Only because I met you did I finally gain my parent's affection. But I still wanted more. I'm a greedy bastard, (Y/n), and I want your love too. Just yours, and all for myself."
"Won't you...give it to me?"
a world where he is loved
━━━━━༻ ❀ ༺━━━━━
// (1) file successfully decrypted
> Jaehyun has a mini graveyard in his garden for all his pet birds
━━━━━༻ ❀ ༺━━━━━
a/n: i am here to bring you more fanart and bless your eyes. this is by Astre777
this chapter got way too long (like 10K long) so i had to split it into two chapters. heh, popsicle got separated from the cool kids