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❀ | ②

╔═════ °• ♔ •° ═════╗ 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡, 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 ╚═════ °• ♔ •° ═════╝

You did everything you could to avoid meeting the prince when he arrived, but it seemed that your parents were expecting this, and had knights placed around every corner of the castle in order to escort you down to the main gates.

You kept your face a blank slate as you stood between your parents, hands folded neatly in front of you, just as you were always taught. Your eyes were trained on a carriage glinting in the distance, slowly approaching.

"I hope you remember your manners, [Y/N]," your father muttered, barely moving as he addressed you. You suppressed the urge to roll your eyes, replying flatly;

"How could I, father? Especially after that little talk we had yesterday. I know my place."

"Just don't do anything out of order."

"You can trust me, father." You briefly turned to him, flashing a bright smile that didn't quiet reach your eyes — not that he had the chance to notice that. "I may act rash, but have I ever gone against my word?"

He had no chance to respond, either, as the carriage had pulled to a stop in front of you, it's white horses shaking their heads with a huff. The driver of the carriage stepped off his seat, swiftly moving to the door and pulling it open with a bow.

"May I present Prince Karamatsu, of Akatsuka Kingdom."

Out stepped a man with a pale, rounded face and thick brows resting above his large eyes, his dark hair slicked back with a few rare streaks of royal blue running through the sides. His attire also had flashes of azure, fitting nicely against the white fabric. Except for the cape which he had draped over his right shoulder; it was covered in glittering sequins, practically blinding you all as it reflected the sun's light in multiple directions.

You hid your grimace well, though your brow twitched every now and then at his atrocious display. The man, Karamatsu, brought a gloved hand to his chin, eyes sweeping over your small royal family. His lips stretched into a cat-like grin, eyes lidded as he hummed triumphantly.

"It seems that I have arrived at my destination!" He pointed his hand towards the sky, posing dramatically. "Fate has led me down my destined path, yet it still stretches onwards! Where to, next? Our mortal minds will never know!"

His monologue was met with confused silence. You hated how the deep rumble of his voice raised goosebumps across your skin. Your fingers were gripping your palms in a white-knuckled grip, resisting the urge to pull out your hair. You hoped that now, your parents could see what kind of hell they were attempting to put you through.

It didn't take long for his luggage to be taken into the palace, a surge of maids carrying uncountable amounts of cases to his new sleeping quarters. Your parents showed him through to the main hall, having a pleasantly one-sided conversation with the prince whilst you followed silently from behind. Your father cleared his throat after a moment, plastering a polite smile on his face.

"Well, Queen Koume and I must get back to our royal duties. I can assure you that our servants and knights around the palace are more than able to aid you should you need anything, Prince Karamatsu," he bowed his head lightly. Glancing at you, he added, "Our daughter is also quite the intelligent child. I'm sure she will be more than happy to assist her fiancé in any way she can." He pressed the last few words as he stared hard at you, lips thinning into a flat line as no response was given from you, not even a twitch of facial expression.

Your mother tugged gently on his arm, a warning look subtly sent his way as she smiled at her guest. "We shall see you at dinner later tonight, dear." With that, she led her husband away, disappearing round a corner and leaving the two of you alone. Instantly, the Prince was bowing low in front of you, almost comically so.

"I am truly blessed from the heavens above to be given such an opportunity to wed the most exquisite of flowers!" He took a gentle hold of your hand, bringing the back of your hand to his lips and placing a chaste kiss against your skin. You merely watched on with a slightly raised brow.

"Princess, I look forward to our future together!"

A moment of silence passed before you smiled softly.

"How sweet! I most certainly do not look forward to our time spent together, unfortunately!"

"Hm! As expected, my Princess is as kind as she appears! Soft and kind-hearted, you— ..I'm sorry, what was it that you said?" His tone fell from confident to unsure in a heartbeat. You slowly allowed you smile to fall away into a scornful glare, the man's lips now pulled into a timid smile, sweat beginning to accumulate on his temple.

"It seems that you can actually listen to something other than your own voice," you sneered, crossing your arms over your chest. He tilted his head, confused and slight hurt flashing through his eyes. "This whole set up for our marriage is one of the worst things my parents could ever do."

You took a few steps forward, standing chest to chest with him and pushing a finger against him.

"Let me make this clear, your highness," you spat, "I, just like many other princesses across the region, don't want anything to do with you and your kingdom. If you had any sense with you, then I would expect you to be gone by dinner today, and to call off this god forsaken wedding the minute you arrive back."

You turned on your heel, snapping your fingers as you walked away, a grin spreading across your lips. The look of disbelief on his face was enough to assure you that he would definitely be taking your kind token of advice.

Behind you, a servant you had summoned was busy trying to coax a frozen Karamatsu to his room, his eyes locked onto your back as you grew further and further away from him, eventually disappearing from his view.

You spent the rest of the hours till evening reading in the library, making use of your secret corner hidden atop the bookshelves to catch up on the handful of novels you had picked up. Your mind had stopped thinking of the so-called guest that had entered your home while you were distracted, only to be reminded of his existence when your butler came to fetch you for dinner.

"Tanuki? Where is the Prince?" You asked innocently as you were led to the dining room. Your butler hummed thoughtfully.

"I am sorry, your highness. I haven't seen him since his arrival this morning. As far as I'm aware, he should be joining us for dinner this evening."

'Oh, I'm sure he won't be,' you thought giddily.

A set of tall doors were pushed open for you, the long table filled with food beckoning for you to take a seat. Only, you were stuck where you stood. Your eye twitched dangerously at the sight before you, your lips trembling as you struggled to keep them shut so as not to scream in frustration.

He was sat there, happily chatting away with your mother as your father laughed at something he had said. His eyes locked into yours, the air stilling for a moment before his smile widened, gesturing for you to come take a seat.

"Good evening, Princess! I'm sure that the food will taste ten times better now that we have been graced with your presence!"

He winked at you from across the table as your chair was pushed in. The grip on your utensils tightened considerably. A voice in the back of your mind was becoming louder and louder, drowning out the talk around you.

You had underestimated him, it seems.

'No matter.'

You pierced a morsel of food harshly with your fork.

'This just means I can resort to harsher methods.'

The prince!matsu x Princess fic... makes me so happy 😌😘

hhh im glad ur enjoying it! ☺️♥️♥️

𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭:

「 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 ⇀ 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒐」

「𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 ⇀ 𝑶.𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒐」 [OLD]

「𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ⇀ 𝑲.𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒐」

「𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐲 ⇀ 𝑪. 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒐」

「𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐬 ⇀ 𝑰. 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒐」

𝐎𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬:

𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬

✧ Osomatsu - Cool down

✧ Osomatsu - Cherry Boy

✧ Osomatsu - Consequences

✧ Osomatsu - Courage

✧ Osomatsu - Deal

Osomatsu - Monster?

Osomatsu - A Promise I'll Break

Osomatsu - Something Eternal

Osomatsu - 'Hymn for the Missing'

✧ Karamatsu - Ravenous

✧ Karamatsu - Warm

Karamatsu - Prepared?

Karamatsu - Cold!

Karamatsu - Lycoris Radiata

Karamatsu - Dark Forests

Karamatsu - Learn

Karamatsu - My Love For You

Karamatsu - Special Treatment

✧ Choromatsu - By The Pool Side

✧ Choromatsu - Sweet Stimulation

✧ Choromatsu - Surprises

✧ Choromatsu - Slightly Sadistic

✧ Choromatsu - 'Tell Me'

Choromatsu - A Gracious Green

Choromatsu - Attention Seeker

Ichimatsu - Gamble

Ichimatsu - Distant Future

Ichimatsu - A Winter Carnival

Ichimatsu - Patch You Up With Kisses

Ichimatsu - Reaching You, Finally

✧ Jyushimatsu - Our Little Secret

Jyushimatsu - "It's Okay."

Todomatsu - Nice And Simple

Todomatsu - Kill her? Why Would I?

Todomatsu - Malicious Deity

✧ Matsuno - School Grounds

✧ Matsuno - 'Ragdoll'

✧ Matsuno - Take Care Of You

♔ | 𝐗

»»-----　♔　-----««

The car rumbled over a gravel pathway, entering though opened steel gates and down a road lined with tall pine trees. You craned your neck upwards, hand blocking out the sun in an attempt to see just how high they reached.

"Where are we?" You asked for the hundredth time, still hoping Ozo would give you even the slightest hint of where he had planned to take you. The whole time, he had avoided the question, and he did just the same now, grinning cheekily as he gave you same answer.

"You'll see when we get there!" He laughed at your exasperated sigh.

"You can't even give me just one hint?" You tried.

"[Y/N], you're smart. If I give you a hint, you'll know the answer straight away! Then there'd be no surprise!" He tutted, not giving in to your pouting, no matter how cute you looked. If he could get past Takashi, he could get past you. Albeit, with a lot more struggle.

And so, you waited, leg bouncing in anticipation as the road finally widened out, the trees dispersing to reveal a modern mansion, with large windows almost completely covering the entire front of it. It was pale in colour, it's tiled roof a matte black.

Ozo manoeuvred the car around the fountain in the front drive way, steadily coming to a halt.

"Where... Who's house is this??" You stated in bewilderment. How many mansions did this place have? Ozo only continued to remove his seatbelt, prompting you to do the same until he stopped you.

"Stay in the car for a sec. This isn't the final destination," with that, he jumped out of the car, walking up a small platform of stairs and knocking loudly on the large dark oak doors. You watched him as he leaned his weight on one foot, resting a hand in his pocket as the other fanned his face.

As you both waited for someone to arrive at the door, you began to think about who this person could be. If Ozo thought you would guess who it was easily, then that meant you had to have met this person before, right? You cupped your chin, brows furrowed as you thought further. You knew Chorosuke and Dayoko definitely didn't live here, Takashi lives in Iriabi, so it's not him... If Ozo lived here, then he wouldn't have to knock on the door... Then the only other person it could be was...

"Osomatsu-niisan!"

The doors swung open violently, a yellow blur tackling the driver, close to knocking him over. Ozo yelped in surprise, quickly melting into a laugh.

"Jyushimatsu!" Ozo patted his brother's back affectionately. "See, this is why you're my favourite!"

Ah, now the mansion made sense. Jyushimatsu was the son of the mayor here, so of course they would live in luxury.

As you observed the scene with a fond smile, you noticed that Jyushimatsu was actually wearing the paper bag he had with him the night before, his large eyes peering through the two holes haphazardly cut into the front of the brown paper. You wondered why he wore it; was he self-conscious?

'No,' you thought. 'If he was, he would've kept it on when we first met.'

"What are you doing here, niisan?" Jyushimatsu asked, leaning away.

"I'm taking [Y/N] around Akashika, to show her the sights and stuff," he glanced back at you. "Wanna come with us?"

The two caught eyes, an understanding glimmer flashing between them as Jyushimatsu nodded eagerly, already running towards the car. He jumped into the back seats — literally — and greeted you loudly.

"[Y/N]-chan!" He exclaimed happily, leaning through the gap between your front seats.

"Hello, Jyushimatsu!" His enthusiasm was infectious, your own smile widening greatly.

"You look really pretty today!" He added. "I can tell Osomatsu-niisan thinks so, too!" He pointed to said person as they sat themselves into the car, freezing at the sudden call-out. You giggled, cheeks flushing.

"I'm sure he does," your mind went back to the first car ride, unable to stop the butterflies fluttering in your stomach as you watched Ozo's face darken to red. He glared at Jyushimatsu from the rear view mirror as he started up the car, driving away from the mansion.

"So you live here, Jyushimatsu?" You did Ozo a favour, diverting the subject easily.

"Yup! This is the Ogami Family Estate!" He pointed back to his home as it slowly disappeared from view. "My dad and I live here! You can visit anytime you like!"

You smiled, keeping the offer in mind. Ozo stayed silent, squinting at the road as he drove back the way he came, taking a left towards the mountain peaks in the distance.

"Boobs!" The sudden call from Jyushimatsu made you jump. You glanced back at him with a raised brow to see him pointing straight ahead towards the two twin peaks.

"He thinks they look like tits." Ozo's blunt explanation didn't help the burn of your skin.

"O-Oh..." you mumbled, shrinking slightly in your seat.

'That's one way to look at it, I guess...'

The rest of the car ride was mostly uneventful, the only noise coming from Jyushimatsu as he hummed a tune you hadn't heard before. It sounded like a nursery rhyme.

At one point, the stretch of road ahead of you was devoid of any trees or shade, allowing the sun to shine down on you with no mercy.

"Man, it's hot today...!" Ozo sighed, rolling down his window. You nodded, doing the same.

"Hey, Osomatsu nii-san..." Jyushimatsu called from the back, tired as he fanned himself. "Can't you put the AC on?"

"Ah, well..." Ozo laughed nervously. "I still haven't gotten it fixed yet..."

"What?!" Jyushimatsu cried. "I'm gonna die..!"

"How can you survive this summer heat when you're driving around all day?" You asked incredulously, peering over to the driver who was busy unbuttoning a third button from his shirt, tousling his hair to provide some kind of cool breeze for his head. His sleeves were sticking to his biceps, clinging onto his skin and defining his slightly toned arms.

"I don't." Ozo replied, not noticing your blatant stares, unlike a certain someone behind you. You heard Jyushimatsu giggle, making you avert your eyes with a silent huff in turn.

Soldiering through the dizzying heat, the car eventually pulled to a stop in front of the beginnings of a mountain trail. Clambering out, you squinted your eyes at the path as it trailed upwards.

"Are we climbing all the way up to the top?" Wearily, you took a subtle step back. Jyushimatsu laughed loudly, readjusting the paper bag on his head.

"Nope! Just a little further up this way!" He headed off, waving a hand back towards you and Ozo. "Let's go!"

The heavy slam of the trunk of the car caused you to turn around, watching as Ozo adjusted his grip on the handle of a blue and white box before following behind you.

"What's that?" Ozo glanced at you then down to the box, grinning.

"I always carry a few extra drinks with me on the job. Don't tell my boss, though!" He mockingly held a finger up to his lips, winking at you.

"Don't tell me there's only beer cans in there.." you raised a brow. As nice as the thought was, you weren't planning to get drunk during the day, especially on a mountain trail.

"Nah, 'course not!" Ozo waved a hand. "As much as I love my alcohol, a soda or too aren't so bad every now and then, too!"

You felt something slip around your wrist, your steps faltering. Recognising that warmth, your eyes widened slightly as Ozo's hand wrapped themselves around you again, gently tugging you forward along with him.

"Wouldn't want you to trip or anything, right?" His dark lidded eyes moved over to you from over his shoulder. His stare made you want to bury your face into your hands.

"Not when you're looking that gorgeous."

»»-----　♔　-----««

♔ | 𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈

»»-----　♔　-----««

A dark hallway. Stretching far ahead of you, far behind you, the narrow walls beside you unmoving.

Nothing could be seen. Nothing could be heard.

Take a step forward, and the walls will follow you. There is no where to move, forever stuck in the same place.

A set of footsteps sound from behind. Or is it ahead? They grow closer and closer, louder and louder, echoing fervently in the hallway — or your mind.

Faintly, a light flickers before you. A single bulb, twitching dangerously. It's buzzing. A glimpse of a shadow amongst the shadows. Then silence.

You blink. The shadow is in front of you, now. Shorter than, staring up at you. Although, it's hard to tell what it is looking at when the face is obscured.

A little boy, you realise. Though, the innocence of such youth is lost to you, with your heart beating in your ears at a rapid, terrified pace.

He stares. And stares. And stares.

A gaping hole appears where his mouth should be. Distorted noises fill the tense silence, filling you with a deep sense of dread.

┊   •° ੈ ⋆°  ┊

You jolted up, gasping for air. Your hands come up to clutch at your night top, scrunching the fabric tightly between your fingers to give you something, anything, to hold on to.

What was that? Was that a dream? A nightmare? Whatever it was, it scared you. Really, really scared you.

You shakily got out of bed, wincing as rays of early morning sunshine hit your eyes. Moving to the bathroom, you went through the same process as yesterday; cooling your face with cold water, and taking deep breaths to calm down.

As you brushed your teeth, you hesitantly gave in to your curious thoughts and began wondering what the hell you had just dreamt about. You rarely had dreams anymore, and nightmares were something your childhood-self experienced for a short while.

So where did this come from?

You didn't feel afraid of anything until that... kid, or whatever it was, popped up in front of you. Nothing that had happened recently had left you scared or worried. So that couldn't be it.

Drying your face with a towel, you sighed. Your mind must be playing tricks on you, then. That seemed to be a reasonable explanation, didn't it?

Either way, you didn't want to think about it anymore. The whole sequence just made you feel sick and uneasy.

Heading back into the bedroom, a set of folded clothing was left on the dresser for you, a small handwritten note on top.

'Try this on! - Dayoko xo'

With a smile, you took the clothes and unfolded them. Dayoko had given you another dress, coloured a simple white with gold linings over the frills. It was off the shoulder, the straps of the dress wrapping over your upper arm, holding it firmly in place. The skirt of the dress stopped just over your knees, flowing beautifully around you with each move.

You stared wide-eyed at your reflection.

"..I should ask her where she gets her outfits.." you mumbled to yourself as you turned this way and that, checking how you looked. Your hair tickled over your exposed skin, making you realise that you should probably put on some sun-screen.

As soon as you were done, you made your way downstairs to the main room, finally able to remember your way through the halls. Glancing around, you found it a little odd how you hadn't heard or seen your hosts yet, but you didn't think too much of it. They were busy people, unlike yourself.

The main room was empty, save for the breakfast food spread out onto the table for you, a single plate in place. The doors were wide open once again, only Chorosuke wasn't there. Approaching the table, you saw another handwritten note left for you, the handwriting neater this time, almost as if it were printed.

'[Y/N], I have kado lessons I must teach to my students, and Dayoko is accompanying me, so we unfortunately cannot join you for breakfast this morning. We should be back in time for dinner, possibly an hour later if we are needed for anything else. Please, feel free to roam the Estate or the District of you would like. We wish you all the best. —Chorosuke'

"Awe, man..." you mumbled under your breath. Slight disappointment ran through you, but you willed it away. They had things to do, it's not their fault. Besides, you had made yourself a small handful of new friends you could easily talk with, so it's not like you couldn't do anything without them.

Placing the note aside, you peacefully ate your breakfast, seating yourself so that you could face the back garden. You sighed softly as a cool breeze entered the room, the tousle of tree leaves and the trickle of the pond water doing wonders to keep you relaxed.

You wished you could be here all the time. No continuous and loud noises, no murmurs of voices echoing around you, no yelling or screaming or constant background noise giving you headaches.

Just a quiet place. For you to escape whenever you pleased.

A knock on the front door brought you back to the real world. You hastily placed down your chopsticks and got up, stumbling slightly at the sudden head-rush, moving to open the door just enough to peek at who was behind it.

"Oh, hey, [Y/N]!"

You opened the door wider, standing tensely as your free hand clutched at your skirt tightly, body tingling with nerves.

"G-Good morning, Ozo!" You stuttered. Your fingers suddenly felt clammy, worsening as you watched him grow closer to you, resting an arm against the wooden beam of the door.

His lips, soft and warm, pressed against your heated cheek, similar to what you had done to him. Butterflies erupted in your stomach, your heart roaring at the sensation. Your own hitched breath brushed against the side of his neck, making him shudder.

"Mornin', doll," he murmured against your skin, slowly moving himself away. He broke out into a grin, eyes tracing over your intense blush, his own face adorning a cute honey glow.

"Just thought I'd pay you back from yesterday. Even though I think I should do more than that," he chuckled as you tensed up, "I'll leave it there. You look like you're about to explode."

Your words were stuck in your throat, unable to even whisper a word in reply. You watched in a daze as he reached up to his shirt collar, tugging on it in an attempt to fan himself. He glanced at you, humming in approval at your attire.

"Looking good, Princess," he winked. Peeking behind you, he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Chorofappyski isn't home, is he?"

"Uh.." you took a deep breath, moving aside. "N-No, he and Dayoko left earlier t-today, so it's just... m-me.."

"Sweet! I came at the right time, then!" He exclaimed gleefully. He stepped inside, haphazardly kicking his shoes off and making his own way in to the main room, smile widening at the sight of food. He looked back at you, beckoning you towards him.

"C'mon, let's eat! Can't let all this free food go to waste!"

He left you standing in the entrance, stunned. A realisation slowly dawned upon you, and when it had fully emerged, it left you extremely nervous and knees weak.

It was just you and Ozo. Alone together.

»»-----　♔　-----««

♔ | 𝐗𝐈

»»-----　♔　-----««

You were glad Jyushimatsu had chosen a more shaded route, or else you were sure you would have collapsed from the harsh heat by now. Ozo's hand had slipped into your own at some point, and when you noticed, you simply squeezed his hand lightly, smiling when he did the same.

"Just through here!" Jyushimatsu called, pushing away a small tuft of bushes and wandering through. You glanced at Ozo.

"Do you know where we are?"

"Yup. Trust me — you're gonna love it."

He took the lead, carefully manoeuvring you over the poking branches and fallen leaves, breaking through the darkly shaded area to a bright field, stretching far beyond the eye can see, rows and rows of soil filled with tall stalks of sunflowers, pointing their heads high towards the sun. They reached just up to your waist, surrounding you in a sweet scent.

You gasped softly, mouthing breaking into a wide gleeful smile. A bubble of laughter escaped your throat as you released your hold on Ozo's hand, running straight into the field. Your hands gently cupped the large yellow petals, running a finger over the soft texture, like velvet, bringing it close to take in its scent. You wandered in further until you were stood in the middle of the sea of flowers, twirling with a giggle as your eyes tried to soak in the beauty around you, sparkling and full of wonder.

You came to a stand still as a breeze flew over you, rustling your hair and stroking your skin. You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath, lost in the moment. It felt so peaceful, so calming, the kind of place you could only ever hope to find, and now you had found it.

"What d'ya think?"

Ozo's voice sounded from behind you as he slowly, carefully, wrapped his arms around your waist, resting his chin on your shoulder. You tensed at first, then almost melted into his hold, leaning against his chest as your own hands came up to press against his.

"You were right; I do love it."

"Told you so," he grinned. His teasing tone murmured against your ear, the sound not unpleasant, and more comforting than anything. You relaxed further, sighing blissfully as you opened your eyes again, staring up into the clear sky.

Although it seemed like such a childish thought, you couldn't help but wish you could stay like this forever, free from any worries, with the wind pushing you forward and a warm hand as your guide.

┊ •° ੈ ⋆° ┊

You pressed the cold can to your temple before opening it up, sighing deeply as the drink cooled your body.

After exploring the field for a while, you had decided to give your legs a break, seating yourself down on the green cut grass close to where you had entered the field. Ozo joined you, saying it was the perfect time to break out the drinks. Jyushimatsu, however, said that he would go exploring, to 'add more bugs to his collection.'

He took off before you could reply, leaving the two of you behind.

"Will Jyushimatsu be alright?" You asked after a moment. Ozo hummed, taking a swig of his drink.

"Yeah. He does this all the time, so there's nothin' to worry about. Instead..." he shuffled closer to you, shoulders practically touching as he grinned down at you, "Why don't you and I have a little chat?"

"Chat? About what?"

"Anything, and everything! I wanna know more about you!"

You blinked, chuckling wearily. "You wanna know about me? I'm really not that interesting..."

"C'mon, sure you are!" He nudged you. "I already have something I wanna ask you, anyway."

"Oh?" You raised a brow. "And what is it?"

"Are you single?"

Your eyes widened, spluttering for words at the sudden question. You looked away from his wide eyes, nibbling at your lower lip. Why had such a simple question flustered you this much? It wasn't fair, the effect this man has on you.

"Uh... Y-Yeah, I am..." you answered after a moment. "But why would you wanna know that?"

"'Cuz it means that I can actually have a shot with you!"

You whipped your head back around, staring at him with cheeks ablaze.

"W-What are you talking about? A shot with me?? Why would you want that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ozo stared at you with a confused grimace. "I mean, look at you! You're so hot! Who wouldn't want you?!"

Your mouth was hanging open, unable to speak. Receiving such compliments, hearing such a confession... All things that you were a stranger to.

A strained silence passed before you sighed, averting your gaze to your lap.

"..Ozo, we've only just met. I doubt it's that quick to fall in love with someone, let alone me..."

'But weren't you feeling the same way only a few hours ago?'

"You put yourself down too much, [Y/N]." Ozo stated firmly. "I know what I'm saying, and I know that you're probably the prettiest girl I've ever seen."

You clutched your drink tighter in your hands, ignoring the prickling cold at your fingertips. A part of you knew that this was all moving way too fast for it to be possible. There was no such thing as 'love at first sight.' And yet... And yet, the other part of you wanted to give in so badly. You wanted to wrap your arms around him and say 'yes,' as if it were meant to be.

"...Can I... have some time to think about it?" It seemed to be the only rational thing to do.

Ozo, on the other hand, couldn't have been more thrilled to hear that. He was actually being considered, by you. He actually had a chance..! This was all too good to be true for him!

He smiled giddily as he leaned his shoulder against you, looking out into the sky, the sun lowering slowly, resting above the tips of the far away trees. His lips stretched wider as he felt you lean back onto him, hesitantly resting your head against his shoulder, allowing him to rest his cheek on the top of your head.

"Take as long as you need, sweetheart. I'll be here waiting' for ya'."

»»-----　♔　-----««